Four Weeks in June
by TippysaurusRex
Summary: All OC's. Willow moved from the bustling city of NYC to live in the Adirondacks; She meets Ayden, a friend of her cousin, who quickly shows her that not everything is what it seems. Will love blossom between the two? Or will her sagacity rule supreme? (Referenced slightly from Stephanie Meyer's Twilight)
1. Welcome

The sunlight flickered down, dappling through the trees onto my face. I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the warmth and the way the light danced upon my lids, all the hues of orange, red, and yellow placating me for the time being. I didn't want to dwell on the six hour drive from home to the cabin. So far the drive had been excruciating, and the cabin lay miles inside of the Adirondack park, far from any big cities. It was only somewhat depressing. I allowed myself to heave a quiet sigh.

"Is she asleep?" I heard a soft voice whisper from in front of me. I sat perfectly still, wondering what might be exchanged between my parents had I really been sleeping.

"I doubt it," my father responded. "I can see a faint smile on her face."

I opened one of my eyes and glanced at my dad. He was grinning at me in the rear-view mirror, his blue eyes alight with internal laughter. I closed my eye, allowing myself to grin back. My mom didn't speak again, at least not while I was still awake.

When I did wake, I was sad to see the sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon, a faint pink glow signified its defeat. I stretched my legs, grunting in the process. They had grown stiff from sitting in the car in the same position for many hours. I blinked, trying to clear the sleep from my eyes, and turned to face the window.

The forests of my memory had nothing compared to the sight I beheld. The trees stretched out before me, a mix of mostly conifers and old oaks, sparsely populated with maples and the occasional birch. It was like staring into an ocean of dark green; I was moved by its beauty. This was not at all what I had expected.

A sharp intake of breath into my lungs must have alerted my parents to my awakening, because my mother twisted around in her seat to face me.

"We're almost there," she chimed, her face lighting up. It almost seemed as though the sun hadn't set after all. My mother was one of those few people left in this world who literally glowed with an inner beauty beyond that of anything in existence. She could light up a whole room with her joy alone.

I smiled back at her, unable to deny her excitement, and replied "that's great, mom." Her happiness was bleeding throughout the car and infecting me. I tried very hard to remain in my depressing state.

"It'll be about fifteen minutes," my dad said. He seemed just as excited as she was, though he was at least exercising some control over his reactions.

My mother beamed at him, and turned back around to face the road. We were twisting through some random back road, and it seemed to be taking us nowhere in particular. Before my eyes the street opened up into the most beautiful town I had ever seen on the outskirts of a large city, like home.

It was surprisingly quaint, and well-lit, with a kind of old-time, homely atmosphere. Streetlights threw down blindingly bright light, casting countless long shadows from the people passing beneath them. Each building containing some family-owned store glowed with at least one fluorescent sign, inviting people to sit for coffee, or share a beer while they watched the game. Some shop windows were decorated with mannequins dressed in what I would consider unflattering clothing, while others displayed comfortable chairs and large sofas inhabited by animated coffee-drinkers. I pressed my face against the glass and stared in awe. I had never seen anything so comforting yet so exciting at the same time, and I'd never thought I would find a place so far from home as intriguing.

My father laughed, watching my reaction from the mirror.

"It's a nice place, isn't it?" he asked me, cutting the wheel and taking us onto a road a little way into the town. It led to what seemed to be more trees and more darkness. I twisted around and gawked some more at the lights that were quickly disappearing from view.

"Yeah," I agreed quietly.

I pulled myself away from the window and sat back in my seat. I reveled in the possibilities; I was half expecting us to be stranded forever in the woods with no source of communication with the outside world. But this; this actually made the move I was being forced into seem all the more pleasant. I relaxed into my seat, and waited for the new house to come into view.

After a few minutes of patience, I felt the stir of anticipation in my muscles. I opened the window very wide, and allowed the cool air to touch my face; it was crisp and clear as I breathed it in. It seemed to shock my lungs, which in response craved more and more of it. I wondered if it had more oxygen because of the huge forest. This woke me up immediately, and I smiled for a moment. I gazed out, watching the tiny flicker of the only few fireflies in probably all of upstate New York, and awed over how different this place was from the hustle and bustle of downtown New York CIty.

It was virtually silent, not including the sound of the car's engine and the wheels as they crunched over the dirt and gravel, bouncing off the hard trunks of the trees and echoing back to my ears. I could only imagine how much of it had been muffled or lost among the thick expanse of foliage above.

I looked up toward the sky, and my eyes snapped wide open in surprise. The stars, the amount of stars was breathtaking. I inhaled sharply and leaned out a little further so as to view the spectacle a little bit better. It seemed as though the navy sky was littered, literally covered in tiny pinpricks of light. I couldn't even make out the familiar shapes of Orion or Draco, Cassiopeia or Ursa Major. Even the color of the sky was different. Back home it had been just a muddy sort of blackish-gray, and the stars seemed to try so hard to show through the smog. But here was different; here, the sky was the most glorious shade of indigo. It was really something. I sighed quietly, and rested my chin on the open window, gazing upward.

Suddenly the trees broke, and out of the gloom appeared an immense, glassy lake. The trees reached out in both directions; their branches toward the sky, and their reflections toward the chilly depths of the lake. I began to feel a thrill of excitement course through me, and I finally spoke up.

"Dad," I whispered, crawling in between the driver's and passenger's seats, "How much farther is it?" I began bouncing in my seat with anticipation.

My dad chuckled, glancing at me momentarily in the rear-view mirror. "We should be there any minute; it sits right on the lake here. It can't be too far now. If you look closely, you should be able to see the lights of the cabin across the water."

Sure enough, leaning my head out the window, I caught sight of the little pinprick of light reflecting off the water, its yellow glow a beacon, calling us closer; closer.

We turned onto a very narrow dirt path, barely wide enough for our Cherokee to pass through. It wound right alongside the edge of the lake, and through the trees I could see the reflection of the hills, as well as the stars and moon hanging directly above. Before I could become any more impatient, the road ended and the trees opened up to a wide meadow alongside the lake.

And there it appeared. The log cabin was beautiful, much bigger than I would have thought was physically allowed. It stood two stories tall, and against a copse of trees. To the left of the house, from the view from the car, there was nestled near the cabin a tiny shed, and I wondered vaguely to myself what could be hidden inside. I could just make out amongst the dense shadow of the trees what looked like a clubhouse, perched on long sinuous limbs above the reach of forest creatures.

We parked our car along-side the trailer and an equally large, yet more impressive truck. It rose ominously high, and its grill seemed more like a grimace than a simple network of metal. My attention was held only momentarily, until I saw a light flicker on over the front door, and someone stepped over the threshold. I recognized my father's cousin and his timid wife trailing behind him. My dad stepped out of the car and stretched. He loped over and shook his cousin's hand.

"Ernie," my dad chuckled as he spoke, and they patted one another on the back. My mom approached his wife, Connie, and they kissed each other on the cheek.

"Michael, Kelly, I'm so glad you called, we've been trying for so long to rent this place out" Connie chimed. Her happiness seemed to bubble over as she spoke. Apparently it must have gotten to be too much of a chore to take care of this place themselves. All I knew from this arrangement was that my family was going to spend a few weeks with my dad's cousin, and we were going to move in after they'd left. I'd put up a good fight, but in the end had been left with no other choices but to come here. I was determined, however, to be miserable, no matter what the cost.

Connie turned to me, her smile touching both her ears and her striking dark eyes.

"I know you've had a bit of a drive, and you've been anxious to see your cousins. The kids are inside," she said to me, opening the door so I could enter. "They've been waiting for you." I walked through the door, stepping into the living room.

I immediately fell in love with the cabin.

The huge traditional logs that made up the walls were showing through, though they were separated by flat boards. I understood this to be a way of making the walls flat, rather than shapely like they would have been. The room was small and dark, lit only by a few floor lamps and the huge stone fireplace that dominated the western wall. I took in the cluttering of the comfortable looking sofas, all crammed around the fire for collecting heat.

And the paintings, the paintings that hung on the walls were what struck me hard. Most of them showed scenes that could be viewed from anywhere around the cabin. They consisted of the meadow, which captured the sweet aura of the small tree house and shed, as well as the lake with its small sandy beach and an old fallen tree serving as what appeared to be a bench where a few toddlers sat and played. It occurred to me suddenly that this was the work of my aunt, probably done when she spent the summers here. I gawked at them, only broken from my appreciation as I heard one of my cousins clunking noisily down the old wooden stairs.

"Willow!" I turned to see my older cousin, Jake, walking toward me. He was around the same age as me, about nineteen, but he suddenly seemed huge; probably three times the size since the last time I saw him. He had light brown hair which fell lazily around his face; typical of most teenagers, I knew; and blazing hazel eyes that literally killed me every time I looked at them. I envied his eye color. Mine were just a boring brown.

He pulled me into a rib-crushing hug, and I patted his back in response, hoping he wouldn't do too much damage.

"Hey, Jake" I choked, gasping. I rubbed my ribcage gently.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I always forget how fragile you are."

"No, it's more like you forget your own strength." It was a new voice that had spoken, from the top of the stairs. I looked up.

"Nicole!" I spluttered, as she descended the stairs. She was by far my most favorite cousin, and the one I could relate to most easily. I walked quickly toward the foot of the stairs to meet her. She reached it just as I did, and caught me up in a tight squeeze. She didn't let me go right away, and I could smell her shampoo as her long dark waves enveloped me in a comforting embrace of their own. I giggled and pushed them from my face, pretending to be disgusted as I did so. Jake caught on and laughed quietly to himself.

"Oh gosh," she laughed as she let me go, still clutching my shoulders, yet holding me far enough away to get a good look at me. "Look at how much she's grown! It's like I can't keep up with her it seems!"

When she stepped off the stairs I realized I was actually quite a bit taller than she was. I know I stood about five-seven, but she had to have been not much taller than five-four. I patted her on the head. She glared up at me, her blue eyes playfully furious. Being a few years older than I was, she definitely radiated maturity, but that never seemed to matter in our relationship. We still felt like sisters.

"I love your haircut," she cooed, suddenly forgetting her faux anger and touching my curls. "I wish my hair looked like yours."

"Thanks," I replied, flipping my hair and rolling my eyes with a big haughty smile on my face. This made her laugh. She looked at me sadly then, and I stared quizzically back.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She smiled at me, covering her mouth and giggling to herself.

"She's leaving in a couple of days," Jake replied for her. He leaned against the banister, looming over us and crunching on a granola bar.

"What! Why?" I threw a speculative look at Nicole, who only continued to smile from behind her hand.

"Bryan's coming up here, and we're going to New York City for a few days," Nicole said, and she rocked onto the balls of her feet, grinning widely at me.

I glanced from her to Jake, completely confused.

"Okay, I give up. Who's Bryan?" I asked. She turned to face me.

"Sorry," she laughed. I didn't get the joke. "He's my fiancé."

I shook my head.

"Twenty one and you're ready to settle down?" I asked in wonder. She had never seemed the type to actually get married, have kids, and settle into a routine. She always stuffed her spare time full of traveling to bizarre locations, getting her hands dirty and experimenting with new and typically unorthodox pastimes and hobbies.

"Twenty-two," she replied, her smile warming her features. I shook my head again, more obviously this time, and rolled my eyes, trying to smile through my disappointment.

"You'll understand when you meet him, I'm sure," she said out of nowhere.

I simply nodded my consent.

"Come on," she whispered, taking my hand in hers. "Let's get you upstairs; I want to show you your room!"

I followed her up the stairs, her hand firmly clasped around mine, eager to begin these long four weeks adjusting to this new place. She guided me along the oak-paneled hallway, stopping here and there to show me various rooms.

"This is Jake's room," she said, pointing to a blue door with a biohazard sticker on it.

"Don't go in there," Jake interjected, leaning against the wall behind me. Nicole and I turned to him. "Unless of course you don't mind permanent trauma."

"Yeah, okay, moving on," Nicole said, turning away from him, her eyes widening with embarrassment. "Way too much information there, Jake."

She walked on ahead of us while Jake and I made faces to each other behind her back.

"This here is the bathroom, which the three of us will have to share," Nicole continued, waving her hand through a doorway with little interest. "I'm just glad I won't have to share it with Jake the next few weeks; that nightmare is all yours, Willow."

"Oh ha-ha," Jake complained, throwing her a scowl. "You're just so freaking funny."

I shrugged, poking my head into the room and inspecting the fixtures. The shower was alright, shrouded in a frosted plastic curtain on a ring above an old tub. I huffed at the actual claws on the feet of the tub; it was something I'd only ever seen in movies or really old crappy apartments, not the places I was used to in New York.

"And here," Nicole said as she gestured to a tan door at the end of the hall, her voice pulling me from the bathroom, "Will be your room."

I approached the door, peeking around the frame with curiosity.

"Well, at least until we get out of here," Nicole concluded, "Then you can have any of the other rooms; there's, like, five."

"This one will be fine," I breathed.

It was small, but only so as to make it cozy; it was big, but only so as to allow room for everything. Basically, it was the perfect size. The bed was full, covered in a white, light-weight comforter, a night-stand tucked against the wall beside it.

But what really caught my breath was the window; it was rather large, but only by my standards. I was used to single, tiny breathing holes in the walls of New York apartments. The kind you didn't even want to open for fear something terrible would either come through it or waft up to it. This one I could open and fly a kite from.

I approached it, touching the cool glass, and gazed out over the mirror reflection of the lake.

"Do you like it?" Nicole asked me, her arms crossed as she leaned against the window frame next to me. Jake stood to my other side, his hands deep in his pockets.

"It's…" I trailed off, distracted by the movement of loons on the lake, cutting tiny wakes into its surface. "Yes."

"Good," she replied, patting me on the shoulder as she turned to leave, a triumphant smile playing on her lips.

Jake "harrumphed" before he stuck a teasing finger in my ear on his way out. I swatted at his hand, leaning my face away in defense.

"I'll go get your things," he said, pausing at the door. "Want anything to eat?"

"I'm starving!" I replied with earnest. Turning from the beautiful scenery before me, I followed him out the door. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and we walked down the hallway together.

"Missed you, 'cous," Jake said, giving my shoulders a squeeze.

"Missed you, too," I replied, squeezing him back around his waist.

"Ah, it's good to see your reunion was a nice one," my dad proclaimed as we descended the stairs. "Are you planning to help bring these upstairs, or were you going to run off and do rebellious things?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I got it," Jake said, "You're the guests here!" He grabbed several of the bags of luggage, granted it was a couple _more_ than an average person could carry, and began hauling them up the stairs.

I shrugged at my dad who stared after him, thoughtfully, and grabbed my own luggage, following Jake up to the second floor.

I struggled tremendously, and I could hear my dad's chuckles as he observed my difficulty with two bags, while Jake managed to carry four.

Oh, har har.

I dropped my luggage onto the floor of my room, not even bothering to turn on the light, and fell face-down onto the bed. I sighed deeply, turning my face to look out the large window. The moon, on its way toward the horizon to call it a night, gazed at me from its face as well as its reflection on the lake's glassy surface. Before long, I was asleep, and my dreams began to play back the moon, large and white with its cratered face and cool glow, tickling the surface of the lake and the branches of the trees. Everything in my dream seemed to sigh with contentment, and it didn't surprise me that I slept better that night then most other nights in my life previously. My grumbling tummy didn't even stand a chance.

I awoke the next morning, confused. I stared about me, bewildered by the bright light stretching across the room, and the unfamiliar smell of the pine walls. I blinked and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, yawning wide. Oh yeah, the cabin. I thought for a moment, stretching out my legs and allowing a long, satisfied moan to cross my lips, to just lie there for another few hours. I was prepared to roll over and drift off to sleep again, when Jake busted through the door, chomping on the remains of an English muffin. I yanked the bedclothes over my head, my eyes wide with shock, and peered at him over the edge of the sheet.

"Will! You still sleeping?" he inquired, stuffing what was left of his muffin in his mouth.

I spoke through the sheets, frightened by his entrance and embarrassed by the tank top and shorts I had worn to bed.

"Not anymore," I snapped, "as if anyone could sleep through that."

"Oh, right," he muttered. "Sorry."

He glanced uneasily around the room.

Before the silence got too awkward, I asked him what he wanted. "Hurry up so I can go back to sleep," I added.

He smiled briefly, and met my gaze.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a hike," he replied. "Our dads are going fishing, our moms went into town to shop for souvenirs, and there's really not much else to do around here."

I speculated for a moment.

"Where's Nicole?" I asked. "Is she going?"

He shook his head. "No, she has to stay here and wait for Bryan."

I nodded, looking at my hands.

"Alright, just let me get dressed and eat something," I said, adding that he couldn't have any of my cigarettes before he had a chance to ask. I knew how fond he was of stealing mine whenever he could.

Jake walked away in a haughty manner, apparently pleased that he wouldn't have to spend the day entertaining himself. I threw off the sheets and rolled off to the floor, heading for the dresser to find suitable clothes for a hike. This, I wasn't surprised to find, was a daunting challenge.

Most of the things I had brought with me had been packed with the impression there would be many more opportunities to lie around in the sun, as if there were any sun to lay around in. I was utterly unprepared to venture in the woods, and the most appropriate attire I could find consisted of a pair of cropped pants, a light, long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of old, faded red Converse. I carried my shoes downstairs, after having tied my hair back into a tight bun, and groaned as I saw Jake, completely dressed like a true mountain man. I eyed his muddy boots and thick jeans with apprehension. I was surly not looking forward to this particular excursion. I cringed with the thought of how passionate Jake was when it came to the outdoors, and wondered how I would manage to keep myself alive.

Jake heard me enter the room, and chuckled quietly to himself when I sat down across from him in an armchair and pulled my old Chucks on.

"Is that really what you're planning on wearing?" he asked, trying without success to wipe the smirk off his face.

I rolled my eyes.

"Well when I'd left I hadn't been planning on traipsing through the woods the whole time," I replied.

He laughed again, adding, "Now's your chance to break out of that whole city attitude you've been harboring all these years."

I decided not to respond, satisfied to throw a glare in his direction, and then rose from my seat and wandered into the kitchen looking for early-morning nourishment. It was mostly empty, save for the bowl of fruit sitting on the little round wooden table, so I took the liberty of inspecting the pantry. Most everything I found inside needed time to be properly prepared and cooked. I turned my nose up to the task, and simply retrieved two pieces of bread and decided that was better than not eating anything at all. I returned to the den, taking a bite as I went.

Jake stood up and stretched as I approached, and declared it time to hit the forest. It made me a little nervous that he'd said "forest" instead of the normal "trail," and imagined myself stumbling through the underbrush with my hands thrust out in front of me to catch myself when I fell. I said nothing, and simply walked straight through the room and out the front door, which stood open.

Outside was more beautiful than I could have ever thought possible. I had thought the evening was stunning when we'd arrived, but upon seeing how the sunlight here shone more softly than it did at home, it took me a moment to remember how to breathe. The trees were a much brighter shade of green, as well, and the grass swayed and danced with the soft breeze that crept through.

Jake came up behind me, having shut the front door, and threw one giant arm around my shoulder. He really had grown since I'd last seen him. I felt very weak and simple under the weight of his arm. He mussed up my hair, and pulled me from the neck into a hug.

"I missed you, 'cous," he said, "Thanks for coming with me today."

I shrugged out of his hug, and smiled.

"No problem," was my only response. Being as close as we were, when I was away from him and Nicole it sometimes felt like my siblings were gone, too.

Jake headed off towards a break in the woods alongside the lake, and I followed slowly, enjoying the sunshine playing in my hair and the sound of the cicadas chirping from their hiding places. I really couldn't imagine anything more beautiful had I tried. The peace that emanated from every corner of the area was infectious, and I soon felt very at ease following Jake over the rocks and tree roots deeper into the woods.


	2. Hiking

I felt the nicotine pulsing through my veins as I took a small drag off my cigarette. I closed my eyes against the bright sunshine, and exhaled slowly. Jake was somewhere nearby, inspecting some oddities of the sort, and wouldn't be back for a while. I sat on a large, flat rock that hung over the edge of the lake. The water below was shallow, and I could see the muddy bottom from where I sat, had I peered over the edge. I opened my eyes and watched the small fish and water-striders flit around for some time. They seemed so humble in the most interesting way, and I was soon too absorbed by their behavior to notice anything else going on around me.

"Hi," I heard an unfamiliar, even voice whisper from behind me.

I spun around, confused and startled; the sudden movement nearly put me in the shallow water, and my cigarette slipped through my fingers and landed with a sort of "plop" on the lake's surface, sizzling into non-existence. I clutched at my chest, and placed my free hand on the flat rock beside me in an attempt to steady myself.

I turned toward the object of my discomfort, prepared to shout at them in rage, but what I was about to say caught in my throat and all I was able to eject was a mumbled "Oh!"

The eyes which I beheld and gazed curiously back at me were breath-taking; not only in their color, but in their obvious depth and warmth, with an accent of a burning aspect that only made it harder for me to focus.

They were dark brown with a touch of hazel-green around the pupil, and I found it very hard to turn away. I blinked to try to clear my mind, and as soon as I broke eye contact I could feel the rage bubbling to the surface once again.

Since I couldn't trust myself to rise to my feet to approach the stranger and kick him in the shins, I settled for turning my back on him and, grumbling incoherently to myself, pulled my last cigarette from my pocket and raised it to my mouth.

Before I knew what was happening, I was attempting to light thing air in front of my face. I blinked stupidly, and after replacing my lighter inside of my pocket, I turned to see the stranger leaning casually against an adjacent rock that jutted nearly straight out of the ground. In his hands he held my cigarette, which he twirled gracefully between his fingers like it was a profession. I glared at him with pure distaste, as that was the only other cigarette I had with me.

"Give that back," I snapped. I was so unbelievably angry that I didn't notice how childish my demand sounded.

He looked over at me, smiling mockingly. I couldn't help but notice how strikingly beautiful he was, and had I not been prepared to tear his head off, I might have been compelled to ask him to join me.

"Smoking's bad for you, I hope you realize," he said in a weird accent, with the articulation I had only ever heard in old western movies when the Indians talked.

"Thanks for the concern," I replied as pleasantly as I could manage, "But I'm pretty sure the subject of my health is my own business." I could feel my rage slowly ebbing away, being replaced by determination to retrieve my cigarette.

"I suppose you're right," he said. The stranger shrugged, inspecting the cigarette before handing it out to me.

I reached out to take the cigarette, and he withdrew his hand, tapping the tip of his finger to his chin in contemplation. He looked at me from the corner of his eyes, and smiled.

"But then again," he continued, "I could easily deny you this temporary pleasure."

He continued to eye me curiously, gauging my reaction. I simply continued glaring at him.

"I wouldn't be surprised," I finally offered, "If you were getting some kind of sick pleasure out of teasing me."

The expression that crossed his face was attempting to portray innocence, but I could tell by his devilish smile that he was only acting. The expression as a whole could have been terrifying. I eyed him suspiciously.

"Quite the contrary," he replied, his voice making me shiver. Was it getting colder? I wondered to myself. He continued, saying, "I wouldn't tease about your safety, it's somewhat important to me."

"Somewhat?" I asked, snorting. "That's surprising, considering we've never met before, so you have no reason to be concerned."

I continued to glare at him coldly.

He studied my response for a moment, looking at me from beneath the dark shadow of his brows.

"Forgive me my rudeness," he said, softly and perfectly serious. He stood straight, and approached me. "My name is Ayden, and I apologize for not having informed you first-hand."

He bowed, which had an odd effect on my resolve. I could feel it dissipating at an alarming rate. I did, however, continue to glare at him, but I was sure it was impossible to not notice the curiosity I now felt.

After a moment of speculation, I offered him my name: "I'm Willow," was all I said.

"Willow," he mumbled under his breath, scanning my face with gentle eyes. "It's wonderful to meet you, Willow," he finally said to me.

Still smiling invitingly, he approached the rock I was sitting on, sitting down beside me, and I was immediately taken back by his appearance. His glossy black hair, which looked like he hadn't fixed it since he rolled out of bed, shimmered in the light. In the sun I could pick out hidden facets of blue and purple, which would have otherwise been lost. His figure was tall, but muscular, yet still somewhat soft, and he moved with such grace and swiftness to knock me out cold. The color of his skin was a pretty reddish brown, and it was perfectly smooth. I suddenly envied him this aspect. His hands were large and wide, and very smooth as he handed my cigarette out to me. I took it gingerly, my anger having completely disappeared by now, and I sighed inwardly as I observed this stranger before me. What was most captivating about him was his face. His eyes were something altogether different, rivaling Jake's in their beauty, resting under delicate eyebrows and flowing into a straight perfect nose. His lips, well, they were full and smiling—at me—and I realized then that he'd been observing me as I had him, and I turned away immediately, my face burning with unconcealed embarrassment.

I fumbled in my pocket for my lighter, and lifted my cigarette up to my lips, trying pathetically to distract myself and him from the situation. Before I lit the cigarette, I cast a speculative glance at Ayden; afraid he would try playing another trick on me, I kept my eyes on him, carefully avoiding contact with his.

I took a shallow drag, exhaled quickly, and then heaved a deep, contemplative sigh. I ventured a glance at Ayden, who was determined to avoid my gaze, smiling wistfully to himself. I smiled despite my complacent aversion to him, and allowed my eyes to pass casually over him, enjoying the spectacle.

His face was soft, making him look younger than his build and body structure suggested. No hair grew on his chin, and his lips were puckered, whistling an agonizingly cheerful tune. His dark hair was slightly wavy, tousled strands were playing across his eyes and forehead. I chewed on my lip, a nervous habit I'd developed over the years—lack of an outlet for an imaginative voice tended to do that to a person—and sighed softly.

Before I had time to think, his eyes were upon me, and a smirk crossed his face. The effect was glorious, and it took all that was in me to refrain from gasping aloud.

"So," he began, leaning back onto his elbows, "What is it you were doing out here all alone?"

I gulped audibly, pausing before I answered.

"I'm not alone," I replied, leaning forward and attempting to shake off the awkward feeling beginning to rise in my chest. "I'm here with my cousin."

"Ah," Ayden said, "the gangly fellow who seems to have an interesting obsession with nature?" He added to the nonchalant vibe by brushing invisible dirt off the front of his shirt.

I laughed, despite myself. Ayden smiled wonderfully up at me.

"Yep, that would be him."

I crossed my legs beneath me, and began twisting a piece of thread from my pants between my fingers. It remained silent for a moment while I avoided conversation.

"Forgive my curiosity," Ayden suddenly breathed. I looked up directly into his eyes; Had he been sitting that close the whole time? I quickly looked away. "But you don't seem to be native to this area."

I stalled for a moment, turning my focus back to the string and tying it into a knot. I tossed it into the water, and then looked up to meet his gaze. He smiled encouragingly back at me. I wondered half-heartedly why he was so interested.

"Maybe," I thought aloud, attempting to bore holes into his head where his eyes were, "It would be more polite to first tell me a little bit about you? Considering you were the one to interrupt my peace, after all."

I added that last part in for good measure. I also hoped he didn't notice that I had no intention of divulging any information about myself to him, in the first place. He didn't respond, or move, for quite a while. When I glanced at him, he was staring at me, a quizzical expression playing across his face.

"What?" I asked a bit bewildered.

Ayden took a deep breath and sighed. He looked at me very seriously, and, as he leaned towards me across the rock, whispered, "How do you feel about monsters?"

I stared stupidly at him for a moment, and then snorted. "Uh, okay, well what about them?" I asked, pulling my knees up against my chest and wrapping my arms around them.

"Nothing," he said, "just tell me how you feel about them."

My brows furrowed, and I looked at him questioningly.

"Alright, I'll bite," I finally replied. "What kind of monsters are we talking about?" I pulled a blade of grass from a patch that sprouted from between a crack in the rock, and began rolling it between my fingers. "Do you mean the monsters that lurk in your closet, or the creepy, touch-feely family friend of your dad's kind?"

Ayden laughed, the sound sweet and comforting. He selected a stone from the earthen floor, and flung it out into the water. I turned to look over my shoulder to watch the stone fly, but it seemed that it never landed in the water. I turned back to him, wondering if he hadn't thrown it, after all, but his hands were empty. He didn't seem to notice, being preoccupied with the conversation, so I attempted to focus back in on the discussion.

"Let's go for a walk," he suddenly said, jumping to his feet. He held his hand out for me, and I stared at it.

I shook my head. "If Jake comes back looking for me—"

"He'll be gone a while, and we won't go far," he said, cutting me off. "Besides, I want to show you the rest of the lake."

"Alright," I said, hesitating as I reached out for his hand. He grasped mine firmly, and lifted me to my feet with what seemed like no effort at all. He let go of my hand quickly, and my fingers seemed to tingle. I looked up at him just in time to see him wipe a frightened expression from his face.

"Come along, then," he said, cheerfully, one arm extended in an invitation. "Let's walk."

He kept a reasonable distance between us, which was comforting. I wasn't used to extending close contact beyond my own family. He kept stride with me perfectly, though I knew he could move much more quickly amongst the rocks and foliage if he had to, and I was somewhat flattered that he didn't seem at all irritated. He whistled to himself, brushing his hand over fallen logs and along the leaves of the ferns that grew beside the path. I watched him admiringly, or at least as admiringly as I could while also attempting to keep my footing steady. There wasn't anything as embarrassing as tripping while spending time with someone as handsome as Ayden, I thought dumbly to myself.

Before long we came to a narrow stretch of the lake where the opposite bank was barely a stone's-throw away. Here Ayden stopped me, a finger to his beautiful lips, and as he gazed across the water, he directed me with his hand toward where he stared, and there I saw a small band of deer taking turns sipping water from the lake. Ayden quietly sat himself on the shore, and patting the soil beside him, settled in for the show.

I attempted to sit as quietly as he did, but a stick snapped underneath my foot as I crouched down, and I looked up nervously at the deer. Each of their heads had shot up, and they were standing perfectly still, their glassy eyes trained methodically on where I stood. I looked silently over at Ayden, and he smiled at me, and as we both turned again toward the deer, all we saw of them were their white tails flashing as they bounded up into the forest and out of view.

I plopped myself noisily onto the ground, grabbed the stick which had scared the deer away, and lobbed it into the water. I crossed my arms and legs, and sighed.

"Sorry," I said to Ayden, a bit ashamed of myself.

"Sorry?" Ayden asked, suddenly turning from the water to face me. "What's there to be sorry for?"

"The deer, I scared the deer away."

"Don't be silly, Willow," Ayden chortled, "Scaring away a few deer hardly calls for any apology. Besides, there's such abundance around here, it's hard to keep tabs."

Ayden smirked at me, almost as if at some joke I hadn't picked up on, and I stared dutifully and red-faced at the dirt near my feet.

A few moments went by silently before Ayden said anything.

"The closet monsters," he whispered. I looked over at him; he reclined back on his hands, elbows locked, and had his legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles.

"What?" I said, breaking away from the sweep my eyes had made along his body. He was looking at me, his cheek pressed into his shoulder.

"The closet monsters," he said more clearly this time, staring at me darkly from beneath his slanted brow. "How do you feel about them?"

I blinked stupidly for a moment, and upon remembering our interrupted conversation earlier, after sputtering idiotically, fell into a natural rhythm of lecture.

"Well, for one," I began, "they don't exist. Monsters that lurk in your closet are created by the imagination with the sole purpose of giving an explanation of the unknown. That kind of thing just isn't real."

"I must assume by your choice of words," Ayden said, sitting up and curling a leg beneath him, "that you must know a great deal, for you don't seem afraid of anything." He leaned closer.

"Quite the contrary," I said, leaning away, "I know very little, but from what I _do_ know, I can tell you this: There is nothing more terrifying than a lack of knowledge. Being helpless would leave me too scared to imagine. But I know, for a fact, that real monsters lurk among us, and not in our closets."

"Well, then, that's one thing we both agree on."

Ayden was close enough now that I could feel his breath on my neck. It made me nervous, him being so close. I could feel a pulse of static shoot down my spine and back up, raising the hair on my arms and causing me to gulp audibly.

"So," he whispered quietly, staring at me, a frighteningly playful look on his face, "what kinds of monsters do you believe exist?"

I looked away from him, across the lake. I rubbed my arms, trying to make the goose-bumps disappear. I wasn't even sure how to answer his question, let alone what he was getting at. I took a moment to collect my thoughts.

"The unconventional ones, I suppose." I had my arms wrapped around my knees again, and looked over to Ayden. He was leaning on his left arm, throwing stick into the water with his right. His brows were pressed together in a hard line. It was the most attractive expression on him yet, and it took all of my self-control to look away and hold in a shiver.

"What makes a monster conventional?" Ayden asked me, whipping his head around to look at me, and I glanced back. He eyes smoldered and demanded an answer out of me.

"Well," I said, looking away again and taking advantage of the motion to think for a moment. "I guess I'd have to say fabled creatures, like ghosts and Bigfoot, the kinds that lurk in the shadows and are hardly ever seen. Those kinds of conventional monsters."

"I can assure you right now," Ayden chuckled, "Bigfoot, as you call them, are perfectly real. And they are far from monsters."

"Them?" I replied. "You mean there's more than one?"

"Of course," he laughed. "How do you think sightings have continued over all these years?"

I shrugged, unsure.

"Why are you asking me about monsters, anyway?" I asked him, curious.

At that, Ayden grew suddenly cold. He was silent for what seemed an eternity, and didn't move or look at me. He simply twisted a blade of grass in his strong fingers, the tendons in his wide hand standing out. His dark hair—now completely black in the shade of the trees by the lake—hung around his head and blocked his face from my view. I wished I could reach out and offer comfort in the form of a hug, but knew how awkward that would be for both of us.

"Listen," I said, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry, but you've made me curious. You're talking about monsters, and you seem anxious about it. What is it you're getting at?"

At this point I could really see how deep the agitation went for Ayden. He didn't look over at me, but got to his feet, and brushed the dirt from his clothes.

"I have to go," he muttered, turning away from me and back again, as if unsure of this decision. I panicked a little on the inside, unsure of whether or not I was ready to let him go. Finally, my curiosity won.

"Don't go," I pleaded, "at least not yet."

Ayden's face was suddenly very close to mine, and he was whispering very hurriedly.

"If fear stems from a misunderstanding of the unknown, but you are perfectly happy in your ignorance of this particular case, then I'd rather you be happy then risk scaring you away with the knowledge I wish to bestow on you now."

He stared desperately at me for a brief second before turning and disappearing into the forest. I was instantly on my feet, ready to run after him, but thought better of the idea. Darkness was growing, beginning to settle in, and I could hear the tiny tree frogs and the crickets begin their nightly chorus. I couldn't believe I'd spent so much time out here with Ayden, and realized that Jake would be worried about me.

I found the path back to the rock, then made my way back to the cabin, my thoughts swirling in a confusing cloud. As I approached the cabin, the night had completely taken over, and the warm light from the windows streamed out for a long way along the lawn. I walked up the steps, and entered through the front door.

As I had predicted, Jake and my parents, as well as my aunt and uncle, were all gathered in the cramped living room. My mom was chewing on her bottom lip, and my dad was collapsed in an over-stuffed arm chair, a beer in his hand. As soon as they saw me, they all jumped up and converged on me, at first with thankful cries from my aunt and uncle, then angry threats from my parents, and then desperate apologies from Jake.

I listened impatiently, desperate for the escape to my room.

When I was finally rewarded with isolation, after a long interrogation and lots of excuses, I collapsed on my bed. The window was open, and I listened contentedly to the symphony of crickets and frogs, with the occasional call of a loon on the lake. Before long, I could feel myself drifting quickly off to sleep.

Dreams began to swirl around in my head, of the dark forest, the reflection of the moon off the glassy black surface of the lake, and the stars above, twinkling and forming their own pictures and stories as I watched. One group of stars in particular formed the picture of a man, standing tall and strong; slowly it rearranged to form a new picture—a wolf. In my dream I began to feel myself becoming scared, though the still-conscious part of me wondered why I felt so afraid. Suddenly, with a ripping snarl, the wolf took full shape and dove from the sky directly onto me.

I was gasping, sitting up in bed and clutching at my chest. In the distance, I could hear the howl of a wolf, it seemed somewhere on the mountain. I shuddered, and walked over to close the window. As I peered out, I thought I saw a dark shape run from the edge of the forest back into the shadow of the wood. I snapped the window shut, and lay back in bed. I rolled onto my side, and curled my legs up to my chest, willing sleep to again take me away.

The night cooled dramatically, and not long after I began to doze again did a storm cell pass right through town. I was startled awake from a dreamless slumber by the sound of thunder. I lay in bed for a long time afterwards listening to the rain against the roof and the crack and rumble of the storm. Eventually, though, I was able to fall back to sleep.


	3. Camping

Two whole days went by uneventfully, and without any sign of the mysterious Ayden. I was afraid to ask anyone about him or his family, because of normal embarrassing teenage reasons. I spent a lot of my time by the lake, reading one of the few books I had brought with me.

"That's all you've been doing," Jacob complained to me that afternoon as I lounged at the rocky beach near the cabin. "Come into town with me, we can go to the arcade and play video games."

I glanced at him over the worn pages of _Wraeththu_, one of my favorite fantasy novels, and sighed as I folded the page and closed my book.

"I don't like video games," I replied, matter-of-factly, reaching toward the ground to retrieve my new pack of cigarettes.

Jake shrugged. "Okay, we'll do something else, then."

"Like what?" I asked, lighting a cigarette.

Jake thought for a moment, scowling lightly at a rock near his feet. Suddenly he looked up at me, as I gazed at him patiently, and a wide grin spread across his eager face.

"You want to go camping tonight?" he asked.

This time I shrugged. "Just you and me?" I asked, placing my book on the ground next to me. I hadn't been camping in a very long time, and the chance to get away from the confines of the cabin was exhilarating.

"I could see if I can find any of my friends from school that are still in town," he said, the excitement really beginning to brim over.

I nodded, mulling the possibilities over in my head.

For one, outside of Jacob, I hadn't spent time with anyone my age, and I was desperate for some kind of stimulation. Nicole had already skipped off to New York with her fiancé, leaving Jake and I to entertain ourselves. Another aspect that made camping seem so much more thrilling was the fact that I might be able to get my thoughts away from Ayden without having to be antisocial and bury my nose in books.

"Sure," I said after a short pause. "That sounds reasonable."

Jake simply laughed at me, and began running back toward the cabin.

"I'll go make a few calls," he shouted over his shoulder. I waved to show him I'd heard, and then returned to my book.

Jake was able to find three of his friends to meet up with us that night. He packed a tent, a couple of sleeping mats, and our pillows into one bag, and food and other essentials into the bag I was to sling across my back. It took me a while to lift it from the ground, and maneuver it over my shoulders to buckle the straps across my chest. Jake tried to help, but was so absorbed in laughing at me that he turned into more of a hindrance than anything.

Once I had everything strapped on, Jake handed me a walking stick, like the ones I saw people using when they hiked long distances, and groaned, imagining the torture he was about to put me through.

"The whole point of camping," he explained to me after the hundredth time I asked why we hadn't taken his parents' car to some less remote area, "is to rough it. So just keep walking, we're nearly there."

"You said that an hour ago," I reminded him, huffing as I scrambled over an exposed root while trying to keep myself from toppling over from the weight of my pack.

Jake chuckled, and kept walking, stopping to wait for me every few hundred feet.

Eventually we made it to the campsite, just before dark, with enough time to set up the tent and get settled. As we neared the small clearing, I could see a small fire licking its way up a teepee of sticks, and several smaller and less ragged tents set up in a semicircle. I heard laughter as we broke through the trees.

"What's up, guys," Jake said, dropping his pack with ease and making his way around the fire, greeting all of his old school friends.

I fumbled with the buckles and straps on my pack, somehow getting myself lost in the process. It was about that moment two dark hands pushed mine aside and began unfastening the plastic and nylon that held me prisoner.

"Allow me to help you with that," Ayden said, smiling down at me. A gasp caught in my throat at the sight of him. I'd forgotten how tall he was.

"Hey, Ayden!" Jacob shouted, and I jumped, having totally forgotten that there were other people around us.

The now unfastened straps hung loosely around me, and I slipped the pack from my shoulders as Ayden turned to Jake, and it landed with a loud thud on the ground. I rubbed the muscles in my arms and neck.

"Hey, Jake," Ayden replied, shaking hands.

I glanced around the campfire, uncomfortably aware of the eyes that were watching me with definite scrutiny. I smoothed the front of my shirt unconsciously.

"It's been a while, how was your first semester at college?" Jake asked casually, "You're going to the community college, right?"

"I actually decided not to go this semester," Ayden replied, "Something came up last minute."

"That's too bad," Jake replied, obviously not concerned. It seemed to dawn on him then that I was standing behind Ayden, awkwardly fidgeting and pulling at the hem of my shirt.

"Right," Jake said, clearing his throat, "Introductions." he came to stand on my right side, and placed his hand between my shoulder blades, leading me unwillingly toward the fire. Ayden followed silently behind.

"Everyone," he said, "This is my cousin, Willow."

He gestured toward me, even though I was already the one on display. My feet felt like chunks of lead as I shuffled toward the group of strangers.

"Willow," he began pointing at the other campers from left to right, "This is Nova, Kimi, and Rick."

Everyone but Kimi smiled or waved. Rick grinned, and Nova Waved enthusiastically. Kimi was resolutely avoiding meeting my gaze.

"Go ahead and sit down," Jake said to me. I turned to look at him with more of a panicked expression than I would have liked to have used. "I'm just going to unpack the food," he added in response to my face. He nodded and patted my shoulder.

I turned to the group, and Nova patted the log next to her, and motioned me forward. I approached her timidly, completely awed at her beauty.

All three of Jake's friends were beautiful, to put it simply. Nova had long, luxuriously straight black hair that flowed to the middle of her back, with wide chocolate brown eyes that looked out over her magnificently sharp cheekbones. I recognized her face as one any model would envy. She smiled, and chuckled lightly at my examination.

"Hello, Willow," she said, holding her hand out to shake mine. I looked at it stupidly before I placed my hand in hers, and allowed her to shake it. She giggled again, and I was reminded of wind chimes.

"It's wonderful to meet you," She said, making another attempt at small talk. I blinked my eyes, and smiled in response. I could feel the color blossoming in my face.

"It's nice to meet you, too" I said, gazing out over the fire. I watched the other boy, Rick, get up from his seat beside Kimi and lope over toward Ayden and Jake as they went through the food in the pack.

Nova didn't say much else, but allowed me to stare absentmindedly at Ayden for a moment. "So, you're from New York, I hear?" she asked me, suddenly.

"What?" I asked, turning back to her. I could see Kimi on her other side, inspecting her nails, her jaw set like stone. Her hair was much shorter than Nova's, but the same color and with a more wavy texture. She glanced over at me—her eyes were very dark, almost black in the diminishing light—and I shuddered when she looked away. Nova looked over her shoulder at Kimi, and then turned back to me.

"Don't worry about Kimi," she said, rolling her eyes and smiling. "She's just jealous."

My brow furrowed at that. What could she be jealous of? She was gorgeous.

"Jealous of what?" I asked. "We don't even know one another. She doesn't have anything to be jealous of."

Nova nodded, and glanced over in Ayden's direction, where he was laughing at some joke Jake had just told him and Rick.

"That's just how she is."

Something in the way Nova said it made me think it was more than just the kind of person she was; I nodded silently in response.

"So, anyway, tell me more about New York," Nova said, flashing brilliant white teeth. "Is it really like what people describe?"

I laughed lightly, feeling suddenly euphoric at the chance to discuss something I was comfortable with, and after she explained the stereotypical Pittsburgh qualities to me, I began describing to her its true beauty. I told her of the bustling streets, the rushing people, how even though you saw a million people every day, you never felt anything other than alone. I told her of the parks, the slums, and the back-alley thrift shops, where you could buy a knock-off of anything you like, and half the time wouldn't know the difference.

Before long, night had settled over the wood, and the stars began twinkling to life above us. Jake was cutting deer meet into small steaks, preparing to cook them, while Rick opened a bag of fluffy marshmallows.

I didn't notice Ayden missing from the equation until he was sitting beside me, as quiet as any spring breeze. Nova respectfully scooted over to talk to Kimi, speaking loud enough to drown out any words that might have been exchanged between Ayden and me. I felt suddenly self-conscious, and began to twist the hem of my shirt between my fingers again. I glanced over at Ayden, and he was gazing up at the stars, a faint smile on his face, the orange glow of the fire reflecting off of his skin, making it glow.

I stared at him for a moment, and his gaze shifted to me, and locked my eyes. He smiled at me, pleasure leaking from his expression.

"Hey," he whispered.

I was instantly aware of how close he was sitting, and how intently his eyes were boring into mine. In the glow of the fire, and the lack of the brilliant sunlight, they looked like a muddy golden color; very unusual, indeed.

"Hey," I croaked in response. I quickly cleared my throat, and began to feel the color rising in my cheeks again. Ayden's smile grew wider.

"How are you?" he asked quietly, casually. I nodded in response; it was all I was capable of at the moment. Ayden chuckled. I wanted to scowl at him, but was unable to.

"Ayden," Kimi called suddenly from my left, and his gaze broke from mine as he looked over toward her; his smile disappeared. I turned to look in her direction.

"Yes, Kimi?" He asked politely, leaning around me to look at her. I noticed the impatience and irritation on Nova's face, and wondered what they'd been talking about. I realized then that I hadn't even noticed their conversation, even though they'd been loud enough.

"Come here and talk to me," she said, looking up at him from under her lashes. I looked away, sudden fury bubbling up inside of me.

"I'm talking to Willow right now, Kimi," he said.

"It's fine," I said suddenly. I saw Nova rolling her eyes from the corner of mine. "I was going to go and help Jake with the food, anyway."

I rose to my feet and walked to the other side of the fire before Ayden had a chance to respond. I unzipped the front pocket of my pack, and retrieved my sweatshirt and pack of cigarettes. I pulled the sweatshirt over my head and put my cigarettes in my pocket. I walked over to Jake, and crouched down beside him next to the fire where he turned a tiny piece of venison on a smooth white stick.

"Can I help?" I asked him, my hands fluttering over the food, hopelessly looking for something to occupy myself.

"Sure," Jake said, surprised. It wasn't something I usually did, cooking anything over any sort of fire. He handed me another stick, and I speared another piece of meat that was marinating in some dark sauce, and plunged it into the fire.

"Cook it slowly," Jake said, pulling my hand up so the meat was high above the flames, barely in the heat at all. I scowled, remembering why I never cooked. The little patience I had I didn't waste on cooking.

I sat there for a time, making small talk with Jake and watching Rick pop one marshmallow after another into his mouth until half of the bag was gone. I tried futilely to avoid casting a glance across the fire toward Ayden, Kimi, and Nova. One instance where I was unsuccessful, I noticed Ayden in deep discussion with Nova, while Kimi clung to his left arm. She was staring at me with pleasure, and I looked away.

"I'm going for a walk," I whispered to Jake.

"Okay," he said, testing the little piece of meat at the end of his stick with his forefinger. "Don't stray too far; we're a long way from help."

"Gotcha," I said as I rose to my feet. I walked as quickly as I could without actually rushing for the tree line, trying very hard not to glance over at Ayden's side of the fire. I walked several hundred feet into the dark forest, careful to keep the light of the fire and the sound of the light banter close by. It was about this time I wished I had brought a flashlight with me, as I tripped over exposed roots and sharp rocks. I finally sat at the roots of a giant tree—it looked like a maple, though I couldn't be sure in the dark—and lit a cigarette with unsteady hands. I inhaled deeply, and sighed.

"Willow?"

I jumped in surprise, and clutched at my chest with my free hand, nearly falling over in the opposite direction of Ayden's voice. It kind of stunned me to find I recognized his voice immediately.

"Ayden?" I asked stupidly. His dark figure crouched down in front of me, and one of his large brown hands straightened me against the tree, and he crawled over beside me. As my eyes began to adjust to the darkness, I could see the features of his face. I realized with some sadness that his face was distorted with unhappiness.

"Is everything okay?" I asked after a moment of silence. He sighed deeply and leaned his head against the trunk of the tree next to me, and closed his eyes. "Ayden?" I repeated.

He turned to me, his eyes dark with concern.

"No," he whispered softly. "Everything is going horribly wrong."

I blinked, confused. "Okay."

He turned his eyes toward the canopy, and closed them again.

"Well, what's wrong?" I asked when I realized he wasn't going to say anything more. I remembered my cigarette, and looked to see it had burned nearly all the way down to the filter. I placed it on the ground, smashing it under the heel of my sneaker. I returned my gaze to his face, and he was staring at me, misery tracing across every inch of it.

"Ayden, what _is_ it?" I demanded. He began chewing on his bottom lip. I held back a sigh at the sight of him. He was handsome, even in anguish.

"I'm not sure I want you to know," he replied, finally. He glared at his wide hands, folded in his lap. I stared at them for a second before I responded.

"Well, give me a hint," I whispered. I had turned my body to face him, and I allowed my eyes to stray over him as he deliberated. He was wearing simple jeans, a faded dark blue color, and a black shirt that seemed to be fitted to his torso, though it was very dark and hard for me to really tell. Over his shirt he wore a dark olive green jacket, light for the cool weather, but nothing I would imagine him wearing in the colder months. The seemingly distant fire glinted off the zippers and buttons that adorned the pockets, and his eyes, which were suddenly cast upon me yet again.

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking away. I stared at my fingers as they pulled at the loose string on my shirt again.

"For what?" he asked quietly.

"For staring," I replied, a whispered response.

His large, warm hand cupped my chin, and he raised my face so he could see, and my eyes met his. He looked like he was suppressing a grin.

"Looking isn't a crime," he said, the hint of a smile still playing at the corners of his mouth as he spoke.

"Admiring, more like," I muttered, mostly to myself.

His hand dropped from my face. I returned my gaze to my lap, my hands unconsciously still clutching at my shirt. We sat like that for what seemed like an endless moment, silent and withdrawn. I chewed at the inside of my cheek, anxious.

"Do you remember when I asked you about monsters?" he asked suddenly. I looked up at him, and he was gazing up toward the canopy again. I allowed my eyes to follow, and through a gap in the trees a cluster of stars shone, twinkling down on us, seemingly happy.

"Yes," I whispered, glancing uneasily at his smooth, expressionless face.

"Do you see that constellation?" he said, pointing at the stars which were circled by a frame of dark leaves. It wasn't one I was familiar with, and I had even taken astrology as an extracurricular in high school.

"Yes," I replied. He sighed.

"That is a very special constellation to my people," he said. I sensed the beginning of a significant explanation, so I simply nodded.

"We call it "Othahyu ni" in our language," he began. "You can find different names for him, and he takes many different shapes; there are a lot of interesting stories behind him, from the Greeks and Romans, but it means something completely different to my culture."

He turned to smile at me then, and I swallowed.

"Othahyu ni is the story of how my clan came into being," Ayden said. "He is the creator of the forests, and he developed man to be a companion for the wolf. There are several similar stories, from the other clans of my people, like the Turtles and the Bears.

"Anyway, at first man was stupid, following in the footsteps of the wolf, learning from him and providing him with comfort. In turn, the wolf provided man with protection and food. For a very long time the two lived in peace, but eventually man discovered the powers of fire. Wolves are naturally afraid of fire, and so were forced to run when man began to experiment with it. Some wolves remained, deeply tied to their human companions. You could say they were the first dogs."

Ayden chuckled at some unspoken joke.

"What happened next?" I asked. I was surprised to find myself completely immersed in the story.

He smiled at me, and continued: "The wolf became a stranger to man, and Othahyu ni looked down on what had happened with sadness. Man grew smarter, more independent, and forgot about his wolf companions completely.

"Humans began hunting with their dogs, herding small groups of grazing animals into wooden corrals and slaughtering them for food. He became a danger to the wolves, and they grew scared.

"At one point a wolf named Angeni, angry with the humans for killing a member of his pack for taking an animal from one of their flocks, snuck up on the tribal leader of the humans. While the two were attempting to kill one another, Othahyu ni came down from the heavens, glittering like the stars themselves, and spoke to the man and the wolf with his mind.

"He asked the two why they were fighting, and they explained their sides of the story. Othahyu ni looked upon them with anger and tremendous grief. He explained to them that seeing them live against one another as they had for so long, turning their back on their original purposes, troubled him. He reminded the two of their past, and both looked upon one another with great hatred.

"Othahyu ni offered them an alternative; he told them that he could simply allow them to continue fighting, but he assured them that they would die by each other's tooth and hand. Neither wanted to leave their families to fend for themselves, and so Othahyu ni brought them together as one. Half of the lifetime would be spent human, the other half as a wolf. With a stroke of his power, Othahyu ni left the man-wolf and returned to the sky."

I blinked when Ayden paused, remembering where I was. I looked over at him, and he was smiling slightly.

"You seem bewildered," he said, concern flashing in his eyes.

"You're a very good story teller," I replied, laughing lightly to myself. I glanced over at him, and he was looking at me with a perfectly serious expression on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you superstitious?" he replied, his dark eyes hidden behind his messy black hair.

"I don't know, I never really thought about it," I said, shrugging. "Why?"

Ayden stared at me for a moment before he responded.

"What would you say if I told you that I am one of the descendents of Angeni and his human?

I laughed a sharp laugh, and said, "I'd ask you what color your fur is, I guess."

"Black, for the most part," he replied. "In certain light it shimmers a kind of silver color."

I stared at him for a moment.

"Right," I said when his expression didn't change. "And why are you trying to convince me you're a wolf?"

"A werewolf, actually," he nearly smiled. "I believe that would be the common term for it."

I stared, waiting for him to say something that made sense. He sighed, deeply.

"I don't feel comfortable keeping secrets from you," he whispered. "And to be perfectly honest, I don't want to try."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"I think I'm going to go back to the fire, and try to wake myself up," I said, my hands planted on either side of me, ready to raise me to my feet. Ayden nodded.

He followed me silently back to the fire, and I immediately made my way to sit beside my cousin, as far away from Ayden as I could. Jake was chattering excitedly with Nova, as she held Rick's hand firmly. Kimi seemed to be extremely disappointed to see that I had returned, but was obviously pleased when Ayden didn't attempt to sit with me. He sat on Rick's other side, as far from me as possible.

For the rest of the evening I avoided looking over to him, trying to seem interested in the conversation swirling around, and denied food when Jake offered it to me. I did nibble on the corner of a graham cracker halfway into the night, and watched as Rick and Nova devoured two whole venison steaks before we turned in.

Jake opted to sleep in Rick and Ayden's tent, I guess assuming I'd want my privacy. I was one of the first to climb into my sleeping bag, and I heard Jake whispering softly with Rick; I knew Ayden was with them, though he remained silent. Nova and Kimi were in one of the tents on the other side of the fire.

I lay very still, listening as Jake stretched, groaning, and crawled into the tent he was sharing with the others. I waited for a long while, and then Rick began whispering to Ayden. It was difficult to hear them over the hiss and crackle of the fire, and I slowly lifted my head off my pillow.

"…Are you sure it's the right thing to do?" Rick whispered to Ayden. I heard the cracking of a stick, and the hiss and pop as it was thrown into the fire.

"You remember how it felt when you met Nova," Ayden replied, just as softly. "It's the same thing."

"Not quite, Nova is one of us. She's just from a different tribe." Rick chuckled softly. "Which is, truth be told, very interesting to learn," He added, mumbling.

"But it's the same," Ayden replied, sighing. "I feel for Willow the way you did for Nova, the way my parents did one another."

It was silent for a moment, and my neck ached from the awkward position I was holding it in. I wanted to roll over, but I feared they would hear me and change the course of their conversation. I could feel my head swimming from exhaustion.

"So what did she say when you mentioned it?" Rick asked; his voice was hushed.

"She didn't believe me," Ayden replied, then laughed softly. "It doesn't surprise me."

"Maybe she just needs proof," Rick suggested.

"How would I prove it to her without scaring her away?" Ayden asked, distraught.

"Well," Rick replied, "The only way you can, I guess. If she really is as terrified by you as you are afraid she'll be, and runs screaming into the night, then what else can you do?"

"I guess," was all Ayden said, and then he was silent.

"Take it from me, bro," Rick said, and I could hear him rising to his feet and walking toward his tent. "It'll work out the way it's meant to. Just be honest with her."

"Sure," Ayden said.

I heard the violent hiss of the fire as someone poured water over it, and could smell the wet ashes. I heard one of the other tents open and close, and began to drift off to sleep. It was about that time I heard the zipper of my tent open, and I rolled over.

"Willow, get up," Ayden said, his dark hair falling around his face. "We need to talk."


	4. Secrets

"What about?" I asked, and my voice was a bit hoarse. Good cover-up, I thought to myself.

"Just come with me, please," he said.

He held his hand out to me, and I un-zipped my sleeping bag, crawling toward the door of the tent and grasping for my boots. I pulled them on without bothering to tie them, and ignored Ayden's out-stretched hand, stepping out of the tent and straightening up.

"What is it?" I said, a bit irritated and disoriented.

"Just follow me, we're going to take a short walk," Ayden said, placing his hand on the small of my back and leading me toward the trees. I gulped audibly.

"Where are we going, Ayden?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice level and calm. The conversation I'd overheard began to register in my brain.

"You never gave me a chance to fully explain myself before," Ayden replied, leading me slowly and helping to guide me through the night, over the tangle of roots and ferns around my feet.

"You mean tell me more stories?" I asked; laughter evident in my tone and behind my voice. Ayden stopped abruptly, his fingers wrapped firmly around my upper arm. I turned to look at him. "What?" I added.

He was looking at me sadly, and his eyes shifted to each of mine repeatedly. They were so dark tonight.

"They're not stories, Willow," he whispered softly, barely discernable.

I simply blinked up at him. I was too confused and scared to believe him; a werewolf? Please. Only in sci-fi novels.

"Wait here," he whispered suddenly, and before I had a chance to protest he had disappeared into the night.

"Ayden!" I whispered as loud as I could. "Ayden, come back!"

I stood there hopelessly for a moment, with no sense of direction and no idea where the campsite was, I had no idea what to do.

Suddenly, from behind me, I heard something large approaching me. I spun around quickly, flattening myself against what felt like an oak tree. I held my breath, staring in the direction where I could hear the snap of twigs and rustle of out-of-season leaves. A huge furry shape stepped out in front of me, and I caught a gasp in my throat. I was too terrified to call for Ayden, and my muscles were bunched in my legs and back, ready to spring into a frenzied flight. Something in the back of my mind told me that I could never out-run something of this size.

The creature's muzzle rose from the ground where it was sniffing the leaves, and peered up at me through yellow-brown eyes. There was a small white scar under his left eye, traveling the length of his nose, to his lip. The wolf's ears snapped back along his neck, and he approached me slowly, his head hung low, but his eyes never leaving my face. I stared in shock, my mouth gaping wide.

A wolf. A huge, giant wolf. This couldn't be happening. I had to be dreaming.

The wolf stepped out into a shaft of moonlight before me, and rested his immense body against the floor of the forest. His fur shimmered in an almost iridescent manner, and his muddy yellow eyes reflected the moonlight as he glanced up at me from the ground, whimpering softly.

I very slowly released my death-grip on the tree, stepping around to the wolf's side, trying to remember how to use my legs. He turned, readjusting and repositioning himself so as to keep his eyes on me. I stopped, in a more comfortable place next to him than in front of him, and crouched very slowly near the ground.

I recognized the fur vaguely. Hadn't Ayden joked how his fur would be this color when he told me the story of Othahyu ni? Was he being serious? No, I told myself. He had to be joking.

I settled myself on the leafy ground, and breathed deeply. I decided then that the wolf wasn't going to hurt me, and if he was intending to, I had nowhere to run, anyway. He could have probably stood on his hind legs to snatch me out of a tree before I had a chance to get high enough out of his reach, had I tried to climb one.

"Shoo," I whispered, waving my hand at him. "Go away."

The wolf whined, eyeing me nervously. I returned the expression.

Then an idea dawned on me. I knew I would feel like a complete idiot if Ayden walked through the trees right now, to find me trying to converse with a wolf that I thought was him; but I decided to try it anyway.

"Ayden?" I whispered. My voice cracked a little, but the wolf understood. His ears pricked forward, and he began to crawl closer, keeping himself as close to the ground as possible. He whimpered again. I began to back away, against a tree, and the wolf stopped advancing; instead he looked up at me with his yellow-brown eyes, his great bushy black tail swaying slowly from one side to the other.

I laughed lightly to myself. "Ayden, is that really you, then?"

The wolf raised his massive black head and yapped quietly, his huge jaws snapping in the air. I instinctively threw my hand in front of my face, and the wolf's tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, his tail wagging furiously. I laughed again.

"So," I began, "if you're Ayden, and you're a wolf…" I trailed off, and the wolf jumped to his feet, bounding happily into the darkness of the wood. I rose to my feet, and before I had a chance to make two steps toward where the wolf had disappeared, Ayden stepped from the darkness in nothing but his faded jeans.

"Oh," I huffed, stopping dead in my tracks and throwing a hand to my chest. "You scared me."

Ayden laughed. "More than the wolf did?"

I stared at him, astonished. He stared back, his expression shifting from laughter to anguish.

"I'm sorry, Willow," he began. "I wish that there was some other way…" He said nothing more. I waited a moment before I replied.

"Some other way for what?" I laughed. "To tell me you're half wolf?"

"No," he countered, "Not that." He gazed down at his feet, kicking at a stick with his toe. "I wish there was some other way I could be with you." He avoided my eyes.

"What do you mean, be with me?" I asked, confused.

"You probably deserve more than this," Ayden replied, looking up at me with his dark eyes.

"You mean more than a crazy, psychotic wolf-man?" I laughed at the thought. "Then you're probably right. But it might be too late to go back now."

I clamped my hands over my mouth, my eyes snapping wide open, embarrassed by how much I had let slip.

Ayden's brows furrowed together above his eyes, and he cocked his head to the side. He walked slowly toward me, his eyes on my face as I lowered my hands to my sides.

"That's not what I meant," I spluttered.

"Well what did you mean, then?" he asked, straightening up and standing in front of me. His gorgeous eyes bored into mine, and I forgot what defense I had been formulating in my head.

"Uh, I don't know," I stuttered pathetically.

"Hmm," he said. "It sounded to me like you were confessing something that seems to be embarrassing to you."

I shook my head stupidly.

"No?" he asked. "I didn't hit the nail on the head?"

I noticed my breath was coming faster, and I couldn't form anything coherent in either my mind, or with my mouth, so I nodded, then shook my head.

"You're very confusing," Ayden said, "Did you know that?"

I shook my head this time. "Sorry?" I half asked, though of what I had no clue.

"Sorry? For what?" Ayden asked me.

I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate as my heart beats sped up.

"Sorry for being confusing?" I wasn't completely sure of what we were talking about.

"Don't close your eyes," Ayden said, and my eyes snapped open. His face was very close to mine again, and I gasped softly. "They're so pretty; I wish I could just stare into them all day."

I was overwhelmed with what was going on, and I could feel panic bubbling up in my chest.

"Ayden," I croaked, putting my hands on his chest and pushing him away. He stepped back, confused. "Stop whatever you're doing right now."

I stared at the ground, up at the leaves, at his knees; at basically anything but his face. He didn't move, but stood several feet in front of me, silent. I concentrated on calming my heart and steadying my breathing. I began counting by twos.

"Willow," Ayden whispered.

"What," I replied, reluctantly looking up at him.

"Don't be mad," he said, "but I'm going to do something you might not like."

"What are you—"

He cut me off, catching me off-guard. In one step he was before me, his lips pressed against mine and his hands holding my face close to his. I struggled for a moment, my hands flailing, but I could feel his mouth smiling against mine, and he remained vigilant. I could feel the heat beginning to pulse through my veins, starting at my scalp and making its way down to my toes, and back again. I calmed my protest, and became more relaxed, waiting for Ayden to finish proving whatever point he was trying to make. As he pulled away it felt like he was pulling me along with him, and I felt a cold numbness fill the void where the heat from his kiss had left with him.

I blinked stupidly at the wide grin on his face; he seemed rather pleased with himself. I lowered my hands from their raised position, and laughed.

"Okay," I said. "You want to explain yourself?"

Ayden shook his head.

"No, not really."

I nodded, crossing my hands over my chest. It was getting cold, and I had left my jacket in my pack back at the campsite. I shivered slightly.

"Are you cold?" Ayden asked me.

"A little," I replied.

"I'll be right back," he said, and disappeared into the trees again. I wondered to myself how often he disappeared.

He reappeared silently behind me, draping his green jacket around my shoulders. I turned abruptly, startled by his silent return, and noticed he was wearing his shirt and shoes again. I pulled the jacket tighter around me.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"Don't mention it," he replied, smiling softly down at me.

"So," I said after a short hesitation, "where does this leave us, then?"

"What do you mean?" Ayden asked, speculation flashing across his face.

"Well, you're a werewolf," I said. "And I'm an ordinary girl with no special qualities." I snickered at the thought. "What does that make us?"

He blinked and looked away, confused.

"I guess," he whispered, thinking, "It leaves us here, where we stand. It's completely up to you." He met my gaze, longing filling his eyes. "I'm not going to ask you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

I wasn't sure what he meant by that, so I just waited for clarification.

"I won't stop you if you would rather stay away from me," he said, a hint of sadness coloring his tone. "I'll leave you alone if you like."

"No," I said immediately, and a bit too loudly. "No, I don't want that. You can stay. And I'll stay, too."

Ayden smiled at me, and his eyes glittered behind his curtain of dark hair, even in the darkness.

"That sounds reasonable," he said. "I think I can live with that."

I smiled in return, and he came toward me, and took my upper arm in his strong, wide hand.

"Come on," he said. "It's very late, and you should get some sleep."

I nodded, and he led me back to camp, his hand settled gently between my shoulders. The leaves crunched beneath my feet, and I tried very hard to be as quiet as I could. Ayden didn't seem to be making a sound. I wondered vaguely about it. I ticked it off to be a skill most people of his kind had mastered over the centuries of being one with nature. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was half wolf. I had no idea.

We reached my tent, and he sighed.

"I guess this is goodnight," Ayden whispered, turning to stand in front of me. His breath puffed out in a very sheer fog, due to the cool night air.

"Would you stay with me tonight?" I asked dumbly, a knee-jerk reaction I knew I shouldn't have let slip. I immediately regretted it when his expression changed to one of caution.

"Not tonight," he replied. "We have plenty of time for things like that." He gazed at me wistfully for a moment. "Sleep tight tonight, Willow." Ayden leaned in and kissed me very softly on the cheek, and then turned to cross the pile of ashes to his tent.

I stood there for a moment with my arms crossed over my chest before I climbed back into mine. I zipped the tent up, and kicked off my boots. I slipped into my sleeping bag and closed it around me, snuggling inside Ayden's jacket.

I fell asleep to the woody scent of pine and birch trees that wafted to my nose from the fibers of the coat.

The morning dawned earlier than I would have liked, and I woke to the sound of feet shuffling around outside of my tent, hushed laughter and giggling seemed to surround the area that had been a pile of ashes the night before. I assumed they had lit another fire, because I could smell freshly struck matches.

I unzipped my sleeping bag, realizing I was sweating and it was very hot in my tent. I groaned, and rolled up the cuffs of my jeans, shoving my feet into my hiking boots and brushing the hair from my face before I climbed from the tent.

Jake was sitting with Rick, Nova, and Ayden, laughing at some joke he had told. It amazed me how Jake was always able to find the right jokes to tell, and know what kind of enthusiasm to tell them with, in order to make everyone around him laugh riotously. I grinned slightly as I zipped my tent up again and approached the group of friends.

"'Morning, Will!" Jake hollered at me, waving for me to join them. I noticed Kimi sitting with her legs and arms crossed, glaring at me from the corner of her eye as she sat next to Jake. Immediately I assumed her bad attitude had something to do with Ayden, and I scowled inwardly.

I sat between Nova and Ayden, and Nova began retelling the joke that Jacob had just shared with them; a joke I had heard many times before, and was less funny when told by someone else. I still laughed appreciatively, out of respect for both Nova and Jake. He smiled over at me, happy with my reaction.

"How'd you sleep?" Ayden whispered in my ear. Nova laughed loudly again, as Jake delivered the punch-line of another one of his over-used jokes.

I turned to face him, and he had moved closer than he had been when I first sat down.

"I slept fine," I lied, smiling at him. His face was calm, almost shy, behind his tangled black hair. His eyes seemed lighter this morning, and I marveled at their gorgeous color.

"How did you sleep?" I asked him in return, trying to be polite.

"Restlessly," he chuckled softly. "Imagine sleeping in a small tent for four with three huge teenagers that take up enough space for five men."

"Sounds terrifying," I replied.

"Severely."

He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning over my face very slowly with a considerable amount of appreciation in his eyes; this made me feel very self-conscious.

"Did you have plans for this evening?" Ayden asked me, rubbing his large hands together and smiling at me.

"Not that I know of," I said. "Why?"

"Would you like to meet me at the coffee shop in town," he said, "Around nine? We haven't really had a normal chance to hang out."

"Are you asking me on a date, Ayden?" I asked, hushed laughter coloring my voice.

"If that's what you want to call it," he said, smiling. I smiled back.

"Sure," I replied. "I'll meet you there at nine."


	5. Date

It was an extremely hard hike back to the cabin—my pack was lighter, from the whole party devouring mostly everything Jake had brought—but a restless night trying to sleep on a hard ground with nothing but a foam mat and thin sleeping bag between it and my body left me with little energy. The trip didn't leave me much opportunity for dwelling on the night before, either. I was too busy concentrating on not tumbling down an incline or falling asleep as I walked along an over-used straight and flat path. Keep walking, I had to remind myself. Stay awake, or you'll die.

When we finally made it back to the cabin, I dumped what I was carrying on the front porch and crawled up the stairs and into my bed. I rolled over and was nearly instantaneously asleep.

I had the strange dream again, this time the wolf from the stars stepped slowly from the sky, his midnight fur glistening in the moonlight like it was bedazzled with millions of tiny stars. The wolf approached me, and as I looked to his paw it had become a hand, reaching out to take my hand. My eyes traveled up his arm to the face of Ayden, his muddy brown eyes with their mossy accents smiling at me with happiness I had never seen before.

I woke almost immediately to sunlight filtering through my window, slanting at an odd angle. I glanced over at the clock, lifting my face from the pillow and rolling onto my stomach. It was nearly seven; I panicked just a little bit on the inside, jumping out of bed and bustling around the room trying to figure out what I was doing.

It took me a minute to realize I needed a shower, and clean clothes. I grabbed my toiletry bag, throwing a beach towel over my shoulder and rushing for the bathroom. I let the shower run for a minute, letting the water get nice and warm, while I brushed my teeth and undressed. I threw my dirty clothes in the hamper, and stepped into the tiled shower.

I scrubbed vigorously, trying to get off the smell of campfire and a day's worth of sleep, washing my hair twice and my face three times. I took a few minutes to allow the hot water to loosen the knots in my shoulders, and my stiff back. I toweled myself off hastily, wrapping the towel around me and dashing back into my room.

Now I just had to find something to wear.

I dug through the drawers in the dresser, where I had unpacked most of the clothes I wore more often, and then began searching through the suitcases I had left in my closet that contained more dressy articles. Undecided on what look I was going for, I figured my best chance would be to simply dress how I would if I were going somewhere with Jake. Only with makeup and a more put-together look.

After trying on a few pieces, attempting to mix-and-match, I settled for a pair of jeans and a tank top with a navy plaid button-down shirt over it. I checked the time—seven fifty, I congratulated myself on my record timing—and went to slap a bit of cover-up and mascara on my face.

I usually didn't wear makeup, especially during the summer months, but I felt it a necessity for this particular event.

I was nervous as I drove Jake's little Honda into town; He would be at home all night and didn't need it for anything. He begged to tag along, giving me a hefty amount of grief before I finally admitted I was meeting Ayden. He didn't really give me a hard time after that.

The winding forest road seemed to take forever to conquer, and it felt as if it were never going to end. I watched the trees pass me by anxiously, and heaved a short sigh of relief when I broke through the wood line and onto the main road. Immediately afterward a jolt of panic shot through me to the very tips of my toes and fingers as I realized how much closer I was to meeting Ayden.

The sleepy little town was turning in for the night; every other shop was locked up with the shades drawn, their signs proclaiming they were closed until the morning, lights off. I cruised slowly through the main square, keeping my eyes peeled for the little coffee shop. I assumed it had been the one I'd seen when I first arrived in town, but it had been a while and the familiarity of the area was just a vague feeling of déjà vu—nothing really stood out to give me a good sense of direction.

Eventually, though, I stumbled upon it as I rounded a small turn in the road. It sat nestled between an old hardware store and a toy store. I parked my car across the street, not really bothering to check if I were in a designated parking space since there would probably not be anyone else around. I killed the engine, and glanced out of the corner of my eye at the little café.

I sat for a moment, staring in through the bay window to the left of the entrance; I watched as a figure hustled around behind a low counter, lifting objects, replacing objects, sweeping the floor. It was a while before I noticed Ayden sitting in an armchair right inside of the window, slumped down in his seat so I couldn't see his silhouette, staring at me with a peculiar smirk on his face. I quickly snapped my eyes back toward the front of the car, my hands clenching the steering wheel, my knuckles white.

I couldn't quite comprehend why I was so nervous.

After a few moments of steady breathing, I opened the car door and slowly stepped onto the pavement, clutching the doorframe for some extra support. I closed the door quietly, and then slowly turned to make my way to the front door. It seemed to me that my heart rate sped up a little more with every step I took.

_Thump bump, thump bump, thump bump._

I could literally feel it beating in my throat, and I swallowed hard. My throat was dry, my head swimming a bit. I turned slowly, and began to cross the street, paying careful attention to each foot as I set it in front of the other.

By the time I reached the door and placed my hand on the knob, I could feel laughter beginning to rise in my chest. I suppressed it, knowing well enough already how idiotic it was to be meeting a werewolf at a coffee shop. I couldn't help the tiny smile that was trying to part my lips, though, as I pulled the door open and stepped over the threshold. Ayden was standing over his armchair, and a smile spread across his face, too, as I entered.

"You made it," he whispered, trying to sound nonchalant and only barely failing.

"Of course," I replied, nodding. I noted the raspy quality of my voice, and cleared my throat before I continued. "I said I'd meet you here, didn't I?"

Ayden simply nodded, a book he had been reading was clutched in his hands. He lowered it towards a table, placing it gingerly on a magazine. I watched as he did this, with deliberate slowness, as if he were putting off something important.

His head whipped around toward me suddenly, and he asked "Would you like any coffee? A scone, perhaps?"

I shook my head, a bit startled by his direct question.

"Um, well maybe a cup of coffee," I muttered. I realized then that I hadn't brought my wallet. How female of me.

"Alright," he said, "Anything in particular you'd like?"

"Surprise me," I replied, smiling timidly.

He approached the counter where a boy with the same skin color as him and platinum-blonde hair stood looking particularly bored. I sat on the very edge of one of the armchairs that huddled around Ayden's chair, and examined the book he had placed on the table.

I laughed to myself when I saw the title of the book: Pride & Prejudice. I shook my head, opening the cover and flipping through the pages, admiring the antique feel of it. It was very old, bound in leather, and most of the language used was a little difficult to understand. I replaced the book as I heard Ayden's footsteps approaching.

"Have you read that book?" Ayden asked me as he placed the coffee on the table between me and the book. He sat down across from me. "Did you like it?"

I smiled at him.

"Actually, I'm beginning to wonder if you can't just read my mind," I replied, smirking casually at him.

He blinked in astonishment momentarily, and then regained his composure.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, his brow furrowing slightly. He fingered the lid of his coffee cup. I absorbed his reaction, placing it at the back of my mind to analyze later.

"Well," I began, speaking low and clearly, "It's probably one of my favorites, and most people who know that wonder why." I shrugged. That's very casual. "It's really not that popular among others my age."

"You do a lot of unique things," he replied quietly almost as if I weren't supposed to hear him, and I paused, taken aback by that statement. I simply pretended not to hear him, and he seemed satisfied by that.

We sat in silence for a good long while, Ayden's attention focused on nothing it seemed, other than his internal debates. His eyes stared unfocused at his feet, one arm resting along the arm of the chair, holding his coffee, his other resting gingerly on the book. I sat, nearly motionless, watching him as he breathed slowly, his eyes staring wide.

Suddenly, he blinked, looked over at me, and smiled.

"Did you drive here?" he asked me gently.

I nodded, because the lump that had suddenly risen in my throat at the sight of that magnificent smile I knew would inhibit me from forming any sort of articulate speech.

"Would you mind going for a ride?"

I shook my head from side to side. No, I believed I would go anywhere with him, as long as he bribed me with that smile. He flashed it again.

Ayden got to his feet, extending his free hand to mine, and then grabbed his book off the table as we exited. He waved briefly at the boy behind the counter, who raised his hand in a lazy manner in acknowledgment, and returned to text messaging on his cell phone.

We crossed the street to Jake's car in silence. Ayden was walking close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his arm, and this made me feel slightly nervous, having him so close. I shuddered slightly; it suddenly felt very cold.

"Chilly?" Ayden asked me. I turned my face up toward him, his blue eyes full of some joke I didn't get.

"I guess you could say that," I replied, swallowing the lump that had risen in my throat. It seemed very big, and was difficult to oppress.

He watched me for a moment, and I avoided his gaze. I took to looking at my hands, my sneakers, and my zipper, anything other than his face. My head was swirling independently around what had happened camping, and I realized I was shuddering from something other than the chill night air. I could still see the penetrating yellow eyes of the wolf from that night.

"Are you alright?" Ayden asked, and my eyes immediately snapped up to look at him, and my breath caught in my chest.

My mouth flopped open without any response, and it took me a second to remember how to speak. The moonlight was reflecting off the skin of his face in a way I never would have imagined possible.

"Yes," I managed to choke out, after I made a determined and just barely successful attempt to collect and organize my thoughts. "Yeah, I'm just a little… I was just thinking."

"About what?" he asked before I had a chance to regret what I'd said.

I came up short, unwilling to admit to him what I'd really been thinking, so I just smiled bashfully, and felt the blood begin to surface on my cheeks.

"Never mind," he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and smiling down at me from his great height. "You don't have to tell me now."

His smile twisted up into an interestingly quirky smirk, and added, "But I'll get it out of you, sometime, one way or another."

I laughed awkwardly at this, and his warm smile reappeared. He chuckled a bit too, and then removed his arm to turn and face me.

I noticed from the corner of my eye the lights in the café go out, and we were left in almost total darkness. He was looking down at me with a curious expression, as if he were trying to read something in my face.

"Are you ready?" he whispered after a moment. I blinked, and the curious look was gone, replaced by one of ridiculous joy.

"Yeah, where are we going?" I replied, slowly catching back up to reality.

"It's a secret," he laughed. "Mind if I drive?"

"Oh," I said my brow furrowing. "Well, this is Jake's car, I don't know—"

"I promise to drive safe, and take very good care of the both of you," he said, smirking at me.

I blinked up at him for a moment, considering this, and then nodded.

"Alright, but no off-roading," I said, turning to walk to the other side of the car.

"No promises," He chirped as he hopped into the driver's seat and shut the door before I had a chance to react.

I stared darkly at him through the windshield on my way to the passenger side, and prepared for the journey.

Several minutes later we were winding our way through the trees on a dirt path, not dissimilar to the one leading to my cabin, and I was clutching at the seatbelt slung across my chest, and at the door of the car, which I was terrified might fly off without warning and spill me out into the trees.

"Could you slow down?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"Slow down?" Ayden replied, "Aren't you having fun?"

"Please!" I cried, closing my eyes.

Jake was most definitely one for these kind of adrenaline-inducing activities, which I had grown comfortable with participating in from time to time, but the way which Ayden was driving was literally hurling me over the edge of tolerance.

"All right, all right, simmer down," he said, easing off the gas and allowing the car to slow to a decent speed.

I was panting, absorbed in keeping my breathing stable, and so didn't notice that Ayden's hand had removed mine from my death-grip—or what I had thought was a death-grip—on my seat-belt and now held it gently in his. He was humming some unfamiliar song to himself.

I glanced over at him, a smile spread across his face, his head swaying back and forth. I continued my breathing exercises.

Several minutes later we came to the end of the dirt road, and he parked the car and turned the headlights off.

"Are you ready?" he asked me, unbuckling his seatbelt and leaning toward me to help with mine.

"I suppose," I croaked, blinking stupidly and waiting for the feeling that we were still moving to settle.

"We have to walk a little way," he said as he hopped out of the driver's seat, closed the door, and skipped over to my side. He pulled the door open in one graceful movement. "It's not far, just a few hundred feet on into the woods."

It was getting pretty late, and I was nervous that my family would begin to worry about me.

Ayden caught on to my wary expression, and added, "I'll have you back within the hour, we won't stay long."

He flashed his wide, sparkling grin, and I nodded dumbly in consent.

Ayden lightly grasped my hand as he led me through the tangle of trees. His fingers felt big and warm laced between mine, which felt cold and thin.

"In a moment I'm going to cover your eyes," he whispered.

I nodded, taking the chance to break my gaze on my feet to turn it up toward his face; it betrayed no hint of what was to come, only the slight flicker of a smile at the corner of his lips gave me any clue. I guessed it was a good surprise. At least to him.

Not too long afterward, as I counted the seconds to each beat of my feet, Ayden paused, tugging my arm to signal I should also stop. I turned to him, his face absolutely beaming with delight.

"I really think you're going to like this," he said, excitement coloring his voice. "It's very special to myself and my family."

He stepped forward, heading directly towards me. I blinked, expecting he'd stop in front of me. When I opened my eyes, he was gone, but before I could turn to look for him, I felt his big, warm hands move around my head to cover my eyes, his breath tickling my ears and neck.

"Jerk," I mumbled, unable to suppress a smile. Ayden chuckled softly.

"Are you ready?" he asked me, quietly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, covering his hands with my small, cool ones.

He nudged me gently forward, his hands guiding me. The path beneath my feet was surprisingly smooth, obviously used on a regular basis. It wasn't long until we stopped.

"I'm going to uncover your eyes now," Ayden practically sang to me. "When you're ready you can open them."

I felt his hands drop away from my face, the chill night air cooling it where they had warmed it. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

We were standing on the edge of a small clearing, a tiny babbling brook wound its way from one edge to another, I assumed snaking its way down to the lake. Beside it a large shapely boulder buffeted its way toward the sky, the crown of its head tickled by the over-hanging branches of a very old-looking willow tree.

I gasped at the very sight of it, the size was such I couldn't compare it. In the breezy night air, the pale leaves danced along the thing, dark branches, sighing and swaying. I blinked my eyes in amazement, and turned to Ayden.

The grin on his face said it all; Pride, satisfaction, and joy all danced along the lines of his mouth, the creases of his eyes, the curve of his brow. His pale white teeth glittered in the iridescent moonlight.

"Look," he whispered, pointing toward the tree.

I turned my gaze back to the clearing, where, as if on cue, millions of tiny fireflies began to wink and dance among the leaves. Their green light reflected off the glossy surfaces of the leaves, giving the tree a soft green aura.

"Ayden," I breathed, my voice full of awe. "It's absolutely the single most beautiful thing…"

My words trailed off as I made my way, slowly, toward the tree. Ayden followed only a few feet behind me.

"I thought you'd like it," he replied, grasping my hand and giving it a light squeeze.

"How did you find this place?" I asked him, admiring the fellow which landed on my arm, winking his green glow happily up at me. "I've never seen so many before in my life."

With a chuckle, he said, "this is where the pack meets."

I looked up at him from the corner of my eye. He stood facing me, his hands deep in his pockets. He had tucked his hair behind his right ear, the left side fell forward across his face. The fireflies danced around him, casting their eerie green glow over its contours. One buzzed quite close to my own face, flashing his light in my eye.

I swatted at him, a giggle tickling my throat, my eyes firmly shut against the onslaught of bioluminescence. My eyes fluttered open, green spots dancing in my vision.

"Oh," I chuckled, rubbing them. I blinked several more times, attempting to disperse the light-spots.

"Here," Ayden whispered, holding his arms out and approaching me. "Let me help. I can fix it."

"Okay," I consented, curious. I dropped my hands.

Ayden stepped up, taking my face in his wide hands, and looked down at me, almost sadly. Before I could open my mouth to utter a word, he drew my face upward, my body following until I was on my tip-toes, and he lowered his own, hovering momentarily.

"Willow," he whispered, his eyes trained on mine. "Willow, I've waited so long…"

His lips brushed mine, gently enough that it tickled, and I inhaled deeply, practically gasping in every ounce of him I could. It was almost as if my whole body were reacting to something I really didn't understand.

"Ayden," I croaked from beneath his touch. One of his hands slid around my face and entangled itself in my hair. "Why does it feel like this?"

I'd had my fair share of relationships, most of which were a complete waste of my time. And though at certain points I was sure I'd never felt more connected to someone than I did at that time, this moment with Ayden surpassed all of my knowledge and experience. To put it the simplest way possible, it felt like a primal urge, like my instincts were literally crawling through my body in an attempt to gain the advantage on the small distance between our bodies. Rather than _wanting_ or _desiring_ the closeness between us, it felt almost necessary to make it happen. As if I had no other choice.

"Do you believe in magic?" He asked me, in an almost sarcastic tone. We both snickered.

"I suppose I don't have any choice but to believe," I replied.

With a satisfied smile, Ayden's lips crashed down on mine, my arms winding their way around his neck while his hands pulled me closer. The fireflies buzzed and flickered around us, and as the light spots gradually faded from my vision, they were promptly replaced with the half-expected fireworks display.

Aw, how cliché.


	6. Lucas Island

"Well, I guess I'll see you later, then," Ayden said, kicking at a stone. He walked with me, very slowly, toward the front door of the cabin, one of his heavy arms resting across my shoulders. I'd parked near the back, as far as I could, to give us a little extra time.

"I'm confident enough to assure you that we'll meet again," I replied, smirking up at him. Though his arm was very large, it didn't make me feel uncomfortable like I would have expected. If anything, it felt good.

"Oh, really?" he asked me, grinning a crooked smile. The skin around his eyes wrinkled up with satisfaction. "Well, until we meet again, I should say."

He removed his arm, slowly, lingering ever so slightly, and grasped my hand. He raised it to his lips where he kissed my fingers gently.

"Until then," I said, curtseying, never allowing my gaze to waver. He kissed my hand, and I turned to prance up into the house, peeking once over my shoulder as I rested my hand on the doorknob.

"Goodnight," Ayden said, waving momentarily.

I waved back as I closed the door between us.

The sun spread into my bedroom, warming all the surfaces of my dresser, my quilt, the pile of dirty clothes on the floor which was steadily growing, my face… I yawned widely, stretching to my full potential, and groaned.

It was about this time that I realized my window had to be open. I could feel the slight breeze, as well as the distinct out-door smell that wafted over the lattice. Had I opened it last night? I rolled over to double-check and make sure I wasn't imagining things.

The window was wide open, and the screen was gone.

"That's weird," I grumbled, reaching up to rub the sleep from my eye. I couldn't recall opening the window, and punching the screen out definitely didn't crop up in my memory.

A soft knocking on my door drew my attention away from the window.

"Come in," I called in a somewhat unattractive voice. Mornings.

The door opened a crack, and Jake stuck his head in.

"Morning, Will," he said, stepping around the door. "Or afternoon, rather."

"Hey, Jake," I replied, yawning again. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon," he answered, chuckling. "Do all city girls sleep so late?"

"Very funny," I said. I sat up, scooting over and patting the foot of the bed, indicating he sit down.

"Uh, Willow," Jake said, pausing on his way over and glancing over at the window. "What happened to your screen?"

I shrugged, nonchalant like eliminating the screen was something I'd meant to do.

He walked over to the window and leaned his head out. He paused for a moment, considering, before turning back to me.

"It's on the lawn out there," he informed me, turning away from the window and pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

"Is it?"

He glanced from me back to the window, and thought better of delving much farther into the issue.

"I'll ask my dad to replace it," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So what's up?" I asked, trying to change the subject, and stifling another yawn. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

It worked.

"Oh, you know," he said, getting comfortable and sprawling across my bed. He leaned on one of his elbows, clasping his hands over his chest. "Just came to see how your evening went."

He wagged his eyebrows, smirking over at me. I rolled my eyes.

"It was fine," I admitted, smoothing the wrinkles in my quilt over my legs, a lame attempt at modesty. As close as I was to my cousin, I felt the details of the night before were too personal to divulge.

"Uh huh," he said simply, running a hand through his brown hair.

We sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke again.

"Ayden's a cool guy and all," he began, and I felt my eyes narrow at his tone. "But he always seems a bit… distracted."

Although I could guess at what he was getting at, I humored him.

"How so?"

"Well, in school he really didn't show up a whole lot," he confessed. "And on the days he did show up he was always getting in trouble for falling asleep in class."

I speculated over this for a second before I said anything.

"How was he able to graduate?" I asked.

"He didn't."

"He didn't?" Weird.

"No, he dropped out halfway through our senior year," He sighed. "Rick was telling me about it while we were camping. He said that's why he never made it to college last semester."

"Huh."

"Yeah," he continued. "Apparently most of their group of friends did the same. Rick got his GED, though, and is going to school part-time now. He wants to be a policeman."

I chewed this over for a while, realizing that Rick, too, had to be a wolf. It fully explained the discussion between him and Ayden at the camp-out, as well as Ayden's reference to the clearing with the willow tree as being a meeting place for "the pack." Of course he wasn't the only one. How often does anyone see a lone wolf?

"Hey Will, I'm sorry," Jake whispered, misreading my expression. "I just think you can do better than him."

He touched my arm sympathetically, in such a brotherly manner.

"It's fine," I stammered. "Thanks for the warning." I tried to conceal my sudden amusement. I understood.

"You know what," he said, "You're welcome. Just looking out for my little cousin, over here."

He patted his chest, looking all haughty. I smiled and nodded.

"Thanks again."

"Hey, why don't you get up" he suggested suddenly. "I'll break out the old Sea-Doo and we'll take a ride over to the island."

Island? "Alright."

Beaming, and obviously feeling proud of himself, Jake stood to leave the room.

"Be sure to wear your bathing suit," he added upon a moment's reflection. "We can go swimming."

I nodded, and he left the room. As soon as the door was closed behind him, I smiled down at my hands.

If only he knew, I thought to myself. If only he knew.

I clutched desperately to Jake's torso as we flew across the surface of the lake, a constant squeal of fear emanating from my throat as Jake chortled with delight.

"Jake, could we possibly slow down?" I shouted, water splashing up into my face. I coughed.

"Slow down?" he yelled back, releasing the throttle slightly. "Sure thing."

Before I had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief, he began twisting and turning, basically pushing the poor craft to its limit, and crying out with glee.

"Is this better?" he asked.

"Not better, not better!" I screamed, my hair whipping all around my face and into my eyes. I could feel the Sea-Doo threatening to roll.

"Yikes!" I cried as Jake made one final donut, chuckling.

"Relax, Willow," he laughed. "I'm a pro at this. Besides, we're almost there."

I peeled my grip from the front of his life vest, stretching up and attempting to fix the bird nest that had appeared.

"You know, Jake," I scolded, "violent wind is no friend to curly hair."

Jake peeked over his shoulder and laughed in appreciation of his work of art, which I was still struggling with, and continued to make his way along the lake at a reasonable pace. I gave up and tied my hair back as neatly as I could just as we were rounding a bend in the lake. I was just able to see a sliver of land ease its way into our line of sight.

"There it is!" Jake exclaimed triumphantly. "Lucas Island!"

It appeared to be a rather small island, dark with trees and vegetation. What looked like gray sand ringed the shoreline, where in many places the trees leaned over to dip their long, heavy branches in the water. As we got closer, the island loomed over me, proving it was definitely _not_ a small island; it was rather large, as a matter of fact.

"Wow," I whispered, mostly to myself; Jake wasn't able to hear me over the groan of the ancient Sea-Doo. He drove around the perimeter of the island, heading for a lop-sided wooden dock just ahead of us.

"Uh oh," I groaned, taking in the old wood and creaking sound it made, imagining myself tumbling over the side or sticking my foot straight through it like a fool.

"Don't worry," Jake assured me. "Its perfectly safe. Been there for almost forty years."

Great.

He pulled along-side the dock, throwing a rope across it, which he also tied around the handles of the Sea-Doo, and hopped off. The craft rocked in a sickening way in response to his movement, and I clutched at the seat, bearing my teeth.

"Ah, Jake," I protested.

"You aren't very brave," Jake chuckled, tying off the other end of the rope to a post.

"There's a difference between brave," I said to him, rising nervously to test my footing, "and what is required to step off an unsteady wave runner onto an even more unsteady century-old dock."

"Jet ski," Jake corrected me. "And I didn't say a hundred, I said forty."

"Whatever."

"If not bravery, then what _is_ required?" he asked.

"Stupidity."

"Right."

Visibly miffed, Jake reached out his hand to grasp mine, which I clutched at with both for dear life. My legs were shaking like a wet, sick puppy as I made the inevitably dangerous leap for the dock.

I heard my shin crack against the sun-baked wood before I felt it.

Because Jake had only tied the front end of the jet ski to the dock, when I'd made my fateful dive, the foot which I used to push off from the craft sent it sliding across the water in the opposite direction I had intended to go. Combined with Jake's panicked and miscalculated tug, and the apparent magnetic attraction wood has to human bone, as well as my untimely and unwise flailing, my leg connected with the dock with a sickening smack.

Jake shouted "shit" at the same time I cried out in pain.

I doubled over onto the dock, a feeling of vertigo tickling the inside of my mind, and nausea biting at my stomach. I tried very hard to endure the immediate pain, clenching my jaw tightly, clamping my eyes firmly shut, and avoiding the temptation to rub out the ache in my leg.

"Shit, shit, shit," Jake shouted, lunging for me before I could slide off the other side of the dock and into the water.

"Will, are you alright?"

"Yeah," I grunted, sitting up slowly. White flashed across my vision. I blinked repeatedly to try and clear it.

"God," he exclaimed, "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't realize--"

"It's fine, Jake," I said, cutting him short. "Just, here, help me up."

I lifted my arms, and Jake moved around behind me, slipping his under mine and heaving me to my feet. I tested my leg, wincing dramatically as pain shot through it.

"Ow," I grumbled.

"Do you want to go back?" Jake asked, concerned. "Do you think it's broken? We should go back. I'm taking you back."

"No," I replied, daring to take a step. It wasn't too bad, just extremely painful, and I gripped Jake's arm for extra support. "Its definitely not broken, more likely bruised to hell."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I said, sauntering slowly for the bank. "Let's just go for a swim, it'll help. I should keep weight off it for a while."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jake snickered, and I couldn't help but smile in return.

"You looked like a bird at high altitude that suddenly realized it had no feathers," Jake joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little more.

"That's pretty accurate, I'd wager," I replied.

Hey, it could have been worse. I could have smacked my head on the dock, fallen into the water, gotten tangled in a discarded fishing net, and drowned.

Right?

Jake helped me to the shore, where I sat down willingly, before he jogged back to the jet ski to retrieve our towels.

What I thought had been gray sand from afar turned out to be tiny pebbles, worn smooth by a river or other such moving water. How they got there I could only imagine. Maybe the lake had been a river, once?

Shortly after, while I was inspecting the facets of a stone, Jake returned with the towels, which he dumped on the stones beside me.

"Would you like some help getting to the water?" he asked me, eyeing the blossoming bruise on my shin furtively. "The water is pretty cool on this end of the lake, it'll help with the swelling."

A lump was puckering under my skin, throbbing to the beat of my heart, and I could feel the heat of the ache all up and down my leg. I touched it gently, fire under my fingertips, touching the dark purple ring and the raw spot where the wood of the dock had scraped the skin.

"Sure," I answered to Jake's suggestion. "That sounds relieving."

He helped me to my feet in much the same manner as before, and I staggered toward the water, gripping his arm for support and limping pathetically. We stopped at the water's edge and I leaned down to test the water with my hand.

It was indeed awfully cool, and I kicked off my sneakers, tossing them up the bank near the towels. I dipped my foot in, felt the chill shock my nerves, and began wading in slowly. I checked my footing with every step, worried I'd stumble and do more damage to my leg. It felt so good, the chill of the water against the throbbing heat and pain of my injury.

"That feels so much better," I said to Jake, walking in small, slow awkward circles to keep the water moving across my leg. The tiny river pebbles shifted only so slightly under my weight.

"Well that's good," Jake responded, still a bit unsure. "Your shorts are getting wet."

I hadn't noticed, probably because my shorts had already been soaked during the ride and were still pretty damp. I was wearing bicycle shorts, the kind that ended just above the knee, in a light khaki color with a blue and white striped tank-top. I could see the water darkening the fabric of my shorts, steadily creeping upward.

"Well shoot," I sighed, pulling my shirt off. "Oh well, they're already wet anyway."

I tossed my shirt to Jake on the shore, who managed to snag it out of the air as it sailed by while struggling to pull off his shoes. I waded in a bit farther, up to my hips, my waist, my chest, the water swirling around me before I dove in.

The cold rushed around me, penetrating through my swimsuit and clothes, down to the roots of my hair. It washed away most of the pain in my leg and all the wariness that had accumulated over the past few hours. I resurfaced, my hair weighed down by the water, its ringlets trailing behind me.

Jake came crashing into the water quickly after me, little regard for decency or enjoying the refreshment which it provided. The water flew in all directions from his onslaught, splashing me in the face a huge grin.

Chuckling, I swam away from him as he dove under, resurfacing in front of me and shaking the water from his hair. The droplets felt like tiny rubber bullets against my face, and I splashed him back.

"Jerk," I cried as he smiled, swimming for me and trying to push me under.

"Don't mess with a champion!" Jake shouted, jumping up out of the water as I spit and coughed lake water from my throat. He fell backward, drifting back up to the surface and floating along, basking in the partial sunlight.

We drifted there for the better part of an hour, chatting and catching up on our favorite bands, imitating scenes from our favorite movies. As we relaxed, and my leg slowly began the gradual shift from white-hot pain to throbbing ache, the clouds rolled in from the north-west, and the temperature began to drop.

"It's getting cold," I remarked, goose bumps spreading over my shoulders as my teeth chattered slightly. "Can we go back soon?"

"Yeah," Jake consented. "Those clouds look like rain, and I don't want us to get caught out here if it starts storming."

We left the water, myself doing to awkwardly, and wrapped the towels around us. I rubbed mine across my arms and along my legs in a vigorous manner, attempting to warm my limbs as they dried.

As for my hair, we'd be there for days waiting for it to dry, so I just toweled it briefly to get the excess water out before I tied it up on the top of my head.

The ride back was excruciating. The wind whipped around us, chilling me to the bone. I clutched close to Jake, trying to keep us both warm. About halfway back to the cabin it began to rain, big fat cold droplets, which only added to the agony. I shivered against Jake, pressing my face against his back.

"Not too far now," Jake called over his shoulder. I could feel him shaking, though just slightly.

To top it all off, being out of the cool water, with the wind endlessly tearing against the scrape, my leg began to hurt with an almost unbearable intensity.

How much farther? I wondered desperately, trying to pick out land marks along the lake's edge to give me some sort of clue. It seemed like the ride was taking forever.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the cabin melted into view through the sheets of rain and I breathed a sigh of relief, shuddering violently. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the lumbering clouds in an ominous way, and a peal of thunder growled over the forest, through the trees, and across the water to us just moments later. Jake kicked the jet ski into gear, flying toward the shore, and ran the thing right up the bank.

I was so distracted with climbing off the jet ski without hurting myself further that I didn't notice the dark shape stalking straight for me through the downpour as I limped my way to the cabin. My wet towel hung useless over my shoulder. It wasn't until they were practically standing over me that I registered their presence.

"Willow!"

I gasped, turning toward the sound of Ayden's voice.

"Ayden?" I cried, one hand gripped on the towel, prepared to use it as a weapon. "Is that you?"

I sounded like an idiot.

"Yes, yes," he said, brushing my shock aside. "What happened? You're limping! What's wrong with your leg?"

I barely heard Jake's footsteps run past behind me through the splattering of the rain, making his way for the front door. The rain had gotten so heavy that he hadn't seen us standing just a few feet to his left.

"Um," I stammered, glancing around me awkwardly. "That's kind of a funny story, you see."

"Hardly," he growled, crouching down to look more closely at my injury. "Jesus, Willow, what did you do?"

"Well," I began, trying not to wince as he brushed his fingertips across the lump on my shin and around the scrape. "Jake took me out to that island, you know the one."

"Lucas Island?" He suggested, glancing up at me disapprovingly.

"That's the one," I confirmed.

"Let me guess," he groaned. "You had a run in with the dock."

"Exactly," I said. "Are you sure you're not a mind reader?"

"No," he admitted. "This time I was able to put two and two together."

"Ah."

"Well, the damage is done," he said matter-of-factly. "I can only assume the scrape came in contact with the lake water?"

"Uh," I began, smiling sheepishly as he rose to his feet. "Well, I went swimming with Jake, so, yeah."

Ayden glared down at me momentarily before pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He sighed heavily.

"Willow?" I heard Jake calling from the front porch. "Willow, are you still out there?"

"Yeah," I shouted back. "I'll be there in a sec."

I turned back to Ayden just as he was placing a huge hand on my shoulder.

"Go inside," he instructed. "Dry off, warm up, and for God's sake, get some peroxide on that cut or it'll get infected."

"Okay," I agreed. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back shortly," he replied. He leaned forward to kiss my forehead. "Now please go inside before you catch pneumonia."

"Willow?" Jake called again.

"I'm coming!" I cried over my shoulder.

Where moments before I could feel the heat radiating off Ayden like the summer sun in Florida, suddenly it disappeared along with the weight of his hand, and I knew he had disappeared.

He was so mysterious that it pissed me off.

In a huff I turned around and began to stamp my feet, heading for the cabin. When my leg began to throb in protest, I slowed, limping again, mumbling profanities under my breath.

"Willow?" Jake asked as I ascended the front steps. "What were you doing out there?"

"Nothing," I said, my tone closing the subject. "Where's the peroxide? My leg is killing me."


	7. Window

Chapter 7

I was feeling feverish that afternoon, curled up under my quilt, my leg as clean as I thought was possible and bandaged up. In an attempt to ignore the rumbling thunder coming from outside my screen-less window, I broke out my severely neglected iPod and tuned in to some familiar and comforting music.

Just as I was taking a break from some Black Lab, there was a soft tapping on my door.

"Yeah," I said feebly. Ugh.

"Willow, honey," my mother said as she opened the door and stepped into the room. My aunt was hot on her heels, concern twisting her face into an upsetting expression. It made me feel as though I were on my death bed.

"How are you feeling?" my aunt asked me, reaching around my mother and patting my good knee.

"A bit cold," I admitted.

They both looked at me sadly, worried about how I really felt.

"Okay, well you have a visitor," my mom said. I could tell she was trying very hard not to sound like a hospital nurse.

"Who is it?" I asked, even though I knew exactly who it was.

"Jake's friend Ayden," my aunt answered. "I assumed he was here to see Jake, but he asked for you."

My mom smiled at me, her back to my aunt. She knew me well enough to figure it out on her own.

"Would you like us to send him up?" she asked me.

"Sure," I said very nonchalantly, as though it didn't matter to me whether he came up or not; I even managed a shrug at just the right moment. I was very proud of how well I was able to hide my anxiety. Well, at least from my aunt. My mom was staring at my face, reading each tiny change in my expression like it was a book laid out for her to read at her leisure. I guess that's what you get for having a solid relationship with your mother.

"Okay," my aunt whispered, touching my mom's arm gently, her cue to back out. My mom smirked at me, while my aunt smiled softly, as they left the room.

As soon as their backs were turned, however, the panic immediately set in. I knew my face was flush with fever, and my hair looked like a rat's nest on steroids. In the brief time I knew I had before my aunt and mom got to Ayden and he made his way up to see me, I tried to smooth down my hair, leaning over to open the window a crack.

I heard the soft _click_ of the door closing before I heard Ayden. The mystery of him, augh!

"Willow," he sighed, grief spreading across his face as soon as he laid eyes on me. "Willow, you look terrible."

Stricken with embarrassment, as well as a little hurt by his blunt honesty, I shrugged.

"Thanks for pointing that out," I mumbled, pulling self consciously at my hair. My face had been hot before, but now it felt like a lava flow. I felt it spread down my neck and through my chest, threatening an emotional outburst. I tried to swallow it.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly in response to the expression on my face; probably horrified and upset. He moved over to the bed and sat down at the foot of it. I noticed for the first time that he was holding a small container.

"What's that?" I asked grumpily.

"Hm? Oh, it's some ointment my mom makes for cuts, sores, and burns, that sort of thing," he replied casually.

"She made it?" I asked, unsure. "I've got some Neosporin on it now, it's no big deal-"

Without a glance or a warning, Ayden pulled the quilt down, exposing my legs.

"Okay," I said, awkwardly. "Yeah, be my guest."

Ayden cast me a scowl, and I shut up. I did, however, make a mental note about Ayden's apparent tendency to pretty much do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

I couldn't help but feel that I was lucky I'd had the good mind to wear a pair of sweatpants, because without a single word, he rolled up the left leg of my pants, and began inspecting the bandages.

I could see for myself why everyone was so worried, and Ayden's sharp intake of breath didn't surprise me in the least.

The bruise had spread to cover most of the surface area of my foreleg. I was bleeding through the bandages slightly, and I could just make out the tiny capillaries around the bandage, which had popped during the impact with the dock. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Ayden removed the tape around the gauze slowly, taking great care not to cause me any more discomfort.

"You should have come straight home after it happened," he complained, almost sounding like he was reprimanding me. Was he?

"I didn't think it would be a big deal," I replied, shrugging. I avoided looking at him for fear he would be very angry, though he didn't respond. He simply grumbled as he continued to work on my sloppy bandages.

I winced slightly, a gasp hissing through my clenched teeth as Ayden peeled the patch of gauze from my leg.

"Ow," I groaned, gripping my quilt.

"Oh, Willow," Ayden sighed, his voice dripping with so much worry that it almost sounded like a whine.

I glanced at my shin and immediately wished I hadn't. It was worse than I'd imagined, and the rate of decline began to scare me. I held my mouth firmly shut, for fear I would vomit everywhere.

Ayden got up and sauntered over to my dresser where he gathered up the gauze and tape, returned to my bed, and kneeled down over my leg.

"It smells," I choked, tears beginning to pool at the corners of my eyes. I held my breath as Ayden used the gauze to gently wipe away the Neosporin. He was kind enough to hold any comments he had about the rank odor, to which I was extremely grateful.

He worked slowly and meticulously, carefully removing every trace of the Neosporin as well as the blood. He did a very excellent job, I noted with pleasure.

After the injury was clean, Ayden opened up the container he'd brought along and began rubbing it over the cut. I couldn't help but notice his hands didn't feel warm against the skin of my leg like it should have, and it made me nervous.

"You bruise pretty effectively," Ayden observed, rubbing the ointment in circles over the bruising as well. It was green, and it tingled a bit like menthol. It felt really good.

"Always have," I replied. "Sometimes I would wake up with bruises on my arms and legs and not be able to remember how I got them. That was before I became more cautious of what I was doing, to avoid it."

Ayden nodded politely as he wiped his hands clean of the ointment and applied the gauze over every inch of the green goop. He glanced very briefly at my window and cleared his throat.

"Your screen is missing," he remarked casually.

"Yes, I know," I huffed impatiently. "It must have fallen out over night."

Ayden's face darkened with embarrassment, and my eyes narrowed.

"You know what happened to my screen, don't you?" I demanded.

He ignored my question, applying the tape to the edges of the gauze and pulling cast dressing from his pocket and wrapping it securely around my leg. It was a nice purple color.

I allowed him time to finish bandaging my leg before becoming insistent. His face was stony.

"Ayden," I said flatly. "Will you please answer my question?"

He sighed deeply, running his fingers through his hair. He sat for a minute, glaring at the window and chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"I did it," he said flatly. "I knocked it out."

"_You_ did that?" I asked sharply, leaning over to try and determine how far it was down from my window to the ground. Of course it was impossible at the angle I was at, but I tried anyway.

Ayden twisted his hands together in an almost violent way, staring down at them with a stony expression. I sat back against my pillows and waited patiently for an explanation.

"It got in the way," he said finally, giving in to my demands.

"What do you mean, _it got in the way_?" I asked him, confused. "Got in the way of what?"

"Me," was his response.

I stared at him for a moment, and he stared back. I shrugged at him, thrusting my hand at him palm side up and raising my eyebrows, as an invitation to continue. I didn't quite understand, and I was waiting for him to get to the point, instead of beating around the bush.

"It got in the way of me," he repeated, squinting toward the open window. "I… well, I cam to check on you last night, and it got in my way."

I stared at him, stupidly.

"So I tore it off," he concluded, shrugging.

I didn't realize my mouth was hanging open slightly, but when I noticed I snapped it shut and dropped my gaze. Thinking hard, I closed my eyes and shook my head. Really, was it that big of a deal? With everything that had happened to me that day I'd almost forgotten he could turn into a _wolf_, so I couldn't figure out why I should be freaked out that he could climb to a second story window.

I huffed, and looked over at him.

"Well, should I just keep the screen off then, or what?" I asked.

The smile that spread across Ayden's face at that moment was the most priceless of all, and I felt my heart melt with joy at the mere sight of it. I didn't feel I deserved to be graced with the sunshine of such a grin.

"I'll leave it off on one condition," I said quickly, before he could get too excited, and holding my pointer finger in the air between us.

"Anything," Ayden replied.

"You have to promise me that you'll let me know when you're coming to visit," I instructed, adjusting myself against the pillows. "None of this sneaking in when I'm asleep crap."

"Deal," he said without hesitation.

"Alright, then," I replied.

I watched him for a moment, trying to remain serious. When he leaned over me and gave me a kiss, I couldn't help but smile.

"Why did you feel the need to check up on me?" I asked him when he pulled away. He simply shrugged.

"I dunno," he said after a moment. "I just felt like I needed to stop by, see if you were sleeping alright."

"You're creepy," I said. I'd meant it as a joke, and when Ayden's face turned from light straight to dark, an agonized expression crossing over his face and blackening his features, I realized he hadn't thought it was funny.

"I didn't mean that," I spat out swiftly. "Not in the way you think. It was a joke."

"It wasn't' very funny," he said, turning away from me.

"I could tell," I responded. "I'm sorry."

We sat awkwardly for a minute, in silence. The tension grew between us steadily, and I knew that I'd said something stupid. He probably already felt like a creep as it was, but couldn't help himself. I'd embarrassed him all over again.

I sat quietly, concentrating on the tingling from the ointment traveling up and down my leg. I was beginning to feel less chilled, and wondered if my fever was going down. Out of curiosity, as well as desperation to change the subject, I decided to take my temperature.

"Ayden?" I whispered, leaning my head back against the headboard with my eyes closed.

"Hm?"

"Could you get the thermometer?" I requested.

I felt his weight shift, and moments later he was leaning over me, gently pressing the thermometer between my lips.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

"It won't work, Willow, if you keep talking."

I went silent, listening to Ayden's soft breathing. I allowed my mind to wander as we waited, daydreaming about what might have happened had Ayden come with me and Jake to Lucas Island. I thought of him gathering me up in his big, hard, safe arms and leaping from the jet ski to the dock with grace and precision unequalled my any other. I smiled at the thought.

"What are you thinking about, Miss Willow?" Ayden asked me. I opened my eyes to look at him; he didn't seem so upset anymore.

"Nutting," I mumbled, the thermometer swaying like a diving board from my mouth.

Ayden didn't respond, but leaned forward to push a lock of my hair behind my ear.

"Your color is looking better," he remarked, placing his hand on my face, cupping my cheek. His hand felt slightly warmer, and this comforted me.

I stared at him, thoughts flickering behind his eyes like an old moving picture show.

"Wub aw yoo tinking abutt?" I asked him, the thermometer swaying crazily. He pressed his fingertips to my lips to silence me.

He looked over at me, his mouth twisted to the side in deliberation.

"Did I upset you by coming to visit you during the night?" he asked me, sounding forlorn.

I shrugged. The thermometer beeped. I removed it, and checked my temperature. 100.1 degrees seemed okay to me; it had been 101 before and steadily climbing.

"It didn't upset me," I replied to his question, handing the thermometer back to him. He leaned over and replaced it on the dresser. "I've just never had anyone crawl in through my window in the middle of the night before. And be honest with yourself, it would sound weird to any bystander, especially taking into account the fact we haven't even known each other a week yet."

He rubbed the back of his neck vigorously, his eyes clenched, tiny lines drawn from their corners.

"I know that," he replied gruffly. "I'm not proud of it. It even weirds _me_ out. I just couldn't help it, the pull was too strong. It's hard being away from you, it's all I can think about; when will I see her next? Is she safe? I wonder what she's doing right now… My brothers got so sick of you spinning through our minds that I decided enough was enough, I had to quench my thirst for your presence."

I sat there, dumbfounded, chewing on the inside of my cheek. I ran over the speech in my head again and again. One bit of information stood out above all else, and was the bit I was most curious about.

"_Our_ minds?" I asked simply.

He stared up at me momentarily, presumably trying to figure out the best way to answer my question; otherwise he was debating whether to or not to answer it at all.

"When the pack is in wolf form," he began, staring out of the window; the rain had lightened up, and pattered quietly outside; "We're able to hear each other's thoughts. It makes coordination very simple."

I nodded, not fully comprehending how that was possible. But, then again, everything I'd though was normal kind of flew out the window a couple of days ago.

"Cool," I said.

"To an extent," he replied.

"So, about the rest of what you said," I grumbled, stretching. "Are you obsessed with me, or something?

He smiled at me softly, the corners of his mouth gentle.

"Or something," he repeated. "I don't really even think that even begins to cover it."

Was he joking? I could never tell.

"You're so mysterious," I threw out there, grinning wildly at him.

"I have to be," he whispered in reply.

I scowled at this response, and he placed his hand on my knee.

"But I'm trying to break that habit with you, Willow," he added quickly. "I want you to know all there is to know about me…"

He trailed off.

"I sense a 'but' coming up," I said, trying to encourage him to elaborate.

"But…" he continued, "I want to know that you're comfortable. I don't want to drag you in if it scares you."

I scoffed loudly.

"Please!" I said. "I grew up in New York City; there isn't anything that scares me anymore."

"Really?" he asked sarcastically. "Nothing?"

"Nothing," I repeated.

"Hm," he responded, thoughtful. "I bet I could show you a thing or two that would freak you out."

"Try me," I demanded.

"Some day," he said, laughing at my enthusiasm. "But not now. Rest is what you need, and I've made it my personal mission to see to it that you get enough."

"Oh, honey," I laughed, "I'm going to give you _hell_."

"As long as you call me 'honey' while you do it, it'll feel like heaven," he retorted."

Damn, he had me there. I thought quickly.

"So long as you keep bringing me that ointment until my leg is healed, I'll call you whatever you want me to."

He smiled at that prospect, and leaned over to kiss my forehead.

"I have to go," he informed me, sadly. "But I'll be back."

He grinned at me.

"And I promise to let you know I'm here before I climb in your window."

"Deal," I said.

He left-through the door-and I sighed.

_Good Lord_, I thought. _What am I getting myself into?_

I shifted my weight on the bed; my butt had started to go numb, and I was sick of sitting up. I pulled the quilt up to my chin, and slowly rolled over onto my side.

I wasn't necessarily feeling tired, but I didn't feel like I could stay awake, either. I tried to take a nap, but my stomach growled furiously at me, and made it really hard to concentrate on anything else. I glanced over at the clock; it read 6:21 PM. When was dinner? I thought about wobbling downstairs, but before I could roll over, someone knocked softly on my door.

"Come in," I said, lifting my head to see who it was. I tried to ignore my stomach as it did somersaults in my throat, hoping it was Ayden returning, forgetting its previous desire for food.

When I saw my mother's back coming toward me, my stomach quieted down, sinking to the bottom of my torso and grumbling quietly in hungry defeat.

However, when I laid eyes on the plate of lasagna that my mom was carrying when she turned around, it began its gymnastics routine again with renewed vigor.

"Lasagna!" I cried, rolling over as quickly as I could, and my mom's jaw dropped.

"Willow!" she exclaimed, stopping dead. "You look like you weren't feverish at all this afternoon! What happened?"

"Ayden brought some of his mom's fever fixer," I replied, reaching out toward the food. "But never mind that, I'm starving! Gimme gimme!"

My mom approached and handed me the plate. She sat down beside me as I began to devour the lasagna. She pressed the back of her hand to my forehead, gauging my temperature.

"That's incredible," she whispered, obviously satisfied that I wasn't going to die.

"It's also green, and feels amazing on bruises," I replied between mouthfuls of my dinner.

I was so absorbed with stuffing my face that I didn't notice her staring at me until I paused to take a breath before using the dinner roll to clean my plate of sauce and cheese.

"What?" I asked mid-bite.

"Nothing," my mom said, shaking her head. She glanced out of the window at the darkening, cloudy sky.

"What happened to your screen?" she asked.

Oh, crap. I scrambled through my thoughts for an excuse, chewing slowly to give me a little extra time.

"What's wrong with my screen?" I asked stupidly, trying to avoid looking at the window. It was all I could think of.

"It's missing," she replied irritably, gesturing with her hand in the direction of where my screen should have been.

"Is it, really?" I squinted at the window. "Well I'll be, so it is."

My mom looked at me quizzically before reaching over to feel my forehead again.

"What was your temperature last time you checked it?" She asked me as I swallowed the last of my dinner and heaved an enormous, contented sigh.

"One hundred point one," I mumbled, leaning my head back against the headboard.

"Check it again," she instructed. "I'm going to see if I can get you an appointment with the doctor."

I nodded, knowing it was unnecessary. My mom took the plate from me, and stood up to leave the room. She paused, thinking carefully.

"Who's that boy that came to visit you today, the one you called Ayden?"

Where my aunt Connie was timid and oblivious, my mom was direct and very observant. It had been hard trying to be a normal teenager. She'd always managed to anticipate my every move, and was able to come up with some kind of appropriate punishment before I could even try to sneak in at three in the morning.

"One of Jake's friends from school," I said carefully. Best not to say too much. I'm sure she would have freaked out if I told her about the screen.

"Was he the one who you met at the coffee shop the other night?"

Aha, showing off her skills!

"Yes."

"I see."

Without another word, she kissed the top of my head and made her exit, winking at me before she closed the door.

Huh?

I puzzled over the wink for some minutes, my stomach grumbling happily as it made fast work of the lasagna. No lecture about responsibility? No specific conditions if I wanted to see him?

Were Ayden's mysterious ways rubbing off on my mom?

No, I thought. No, she's just more willing to trust me, probably because we were out of the city and away from the dangers it posed.

I sighed. Something smelled weird. Was it me?

I sniffed my hair and almost gagged. Time for a washing! I pushed my quilt off of me, and threw my legs over the edge of the bed. I slowly began to stand, testing the weight on my injured leg.

It didn't flame with pain, but the pressure made it ache. I saw this as a good sign, and made my way over to the dresser to pull out some clean clothes. As I walked I noticed my pants and legs felt damp, and realized I'd been sweating.

Ick.

I pulled out a pair of old, worn blue boxers, some underclothes, and a white t-shirt, and began to lumber my way down the hall to the bathroom. I hummed a little tune, clinging to the wall for some extra support.

The bathroom became a safe haven.

I locked the door and drew a nice, hot bath. I soaked there for a good, long time, my injured leg dangling over the side of the tub. I scrubbed as much of the lake stink as I could from my body, taking special care between the toes on the foot of my hurt leg, as it couldn't soak in the bath due to the bandages.

When I was satisfied and relaxed, I clambered out and drained the bath as I dried off. I ran some fresh water from the tap to wash my stinky hair after I'd pulled on my clean clothes. It took a while, but after all the hard work I was happy to say I smelled like a new girl.

I took a little extra time to dry my hair, pulling it smooth with a brush and attacking it with the blow dryer until it complied. I found, several minutes into this task, that though I was putting as little weight as possible on my injured leg, I wasn't in complete agony. It felt nice to do something considered normal.

When all was said and done, I hurried back to my bedroom where I collapsed on my bed, exhausted, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

What felt like minutes later, I heard through the haze of sleep a steady, quiet tapping, like an obnoxiously lazy clock counting out the seconds.

I grumbled, and rolled over, pulling the quilt over my head.

It was the very heavy, extremely loud _THUMP_ which launched me out of sleep and upright in bed. I whirled around, trying to gain my bearings, and noticed a dark, lumpy shape clinging to the very bottom edge of my window.

In a flight of panic, I snatched up my lamp from the night stand, and headed from the window, where a low, deep grumbling was emanating. The cord for the lamp didn't quite reach far enough, so I leaned cautiously toward the lattice and peeked out.

Ayden was hanging by one hand, his legs dangling wildly below him.

"Ayden!" I whispered loudly, partially worried and also partially angry. "What the hell?"

"Willow!" he exclaimed, his head snapping around to look at me. "Open your window!"

I chucked the lamp on my bed and threw the window open as far as it would go, reaching out with the intention of pulling Ayden up.

"Get back!" he demanded, grabbing the window sill with his other hand. I stepped back, pushing aside the lamp, and watched as Ayden pulled himself skillfully through my window, landing with a quiet _whoosh_ on the hardwood floor.

I stared.

"Hey," he said, grinning.

"Is that how you got into my room the last time?" I asked, accusingly.

"Kind of," he replied. "Only I didn't make as much noise the last time; your window was open more before."

"I'll say."

I huffed, and replaced the lamp on my night stand, glaring at Ayden as he began to inspect my room more meticulously than before. I watched as he brushed his fingers over my dressed, peering in through the crack of a door that wasn't fully closed.

He turned to me.

"You look much better," he remarked from the foot of my bed. "The color has returned to your face."

He smiled sweetly, and I sighed in submission.

"Come here," I demanded, moving over to sit closer to the headboard so he could sit on the bed. He willingly obeyed, sliding into place before me.

"We've got to figure out some kind of visiting routine," I commented, tossing my hair back. "And throwing yourself at the side of the house is hardly a warning."

"I tossed a few stones first," he retorted. "Throwing myself at the house, as you put it, was a last resort."

I glared at him.

"Well, in any case, maybe you should use the front door like a normal human being," I said.

"But I'm not a normal human being," he replied.

Oh, yeah.

"You're pretending to be."

"Only for everyone but you."

"And why is that?" I asked. "Why is it you divulged your secret to me? I'm nothing special."

"You're very special," he responded, ignoring my question completely.

I growled, grinding my teeth together.

"You're so stubborn," Ayden laughed.

"No, I just don't like being forced into ignorance." I snapped.

"Determined to win this argument, are we?" he asked casually.

"Oh, were we arguing?" I replied as sarcastically as I could.

Ayden glared back, though the corners of his mouth betrayed the hint of a joke. I tried to not let it get to me. He was so frustrating!

I threw my hands up in exasperation.

"Whatever," I proclaimed. "You're a big boy, and I can't tell you what to do-" He grinned at this; I ignored it. "-But I can ask you to respect my wishes.

He frowned.

"I like you, Ayden, more than I probably should, and definitely more than I expected…"

I trailed off.

"I sense a 'but' coming on," he said in mockery of my own usage of the phrase the day previous.

"It's just happening so fast, it doesn't seem believable."

Ayden fell silent for a while, contemplating my words. I almost felt a little guilty, like I was breaking his heart. That wasn't what I wanted; I had a hard time admitting it to myself, let alone to object of this inner turbulence, so what else could I do? I _did_ enjoy his company, I _was_ completely flattered that late at night his desire simply to see me was so great he would come in through my window like a creeper. I _felt_ everything, the equal level of longing I had noticed starting to bubble up in my chest like a slow, progressive boil; the joy of seeing him smile, hearing his laugh, the furrow between his eyebrows when he was thinking very hard.

I wanted to hold him, feel his warmth against me, to kiss him and feel the passion behind every second of it. There was something magical about the whole situation, something irresistible…

No! I mentally shook myself. This wasn't realistic; I couldn't allow myself to accept this, it was simply _too good to be true._ No one felt this for anyone, not the way I felt for Ayden, and certainly not the way he did for me. It just didn't happen.

"How is your leg?" Ayden asked me. The question barely registered amongst my frantic thoughts.

"Good, I guess," I mumbled. I didn't notice as he began to remove the bandages.

This is ridiculous, I continued in my mind. Completely bizarre. I kept saying no, denying it, trying to will it all back into reality.

But then something occurred to me.

Normally I would trust my instincts, following the path laid out by fate. Rarely had I ever been led astray by this tactic. If I felt bad about a situation, I avoided it; embraced it if the feeling was good.

This situation I'd figured to be a bad one; I had assumed I'd get a horrible feeling, and so put forth a lot of energy to avoid it. But as I stopped to really absorb how I really felt about the situation, I found…

That I felt nothing like what I had expected. There was nothing at all ominous about the way I felt for Ayden. I didn't doubt his intentions, and I certainly didn't doubt his feelings. What I hadn't really noticed was that those feelings were mutual.

"Willow," Ayden said, breaking the silence and startling me back to what was going on. "Are you okay?"

I blinked at him, a wad of bandages in his fist. It was like seeing him for the first time, all over again. I nodded.

The moon was full, and resting gently above the treetops outside, casting her milky glow across Ayden's right side. I watched him return to my leg, glancing up at me occasionally. He worked slowly and carefully, wiping the ointment from my skin. His sheet of black hair hung about his face in wisps of ebony ribbons, moving slightly with each tilt of his head. The light was off, but he worked with precision.

He was beautiful.

Ayden looked up and saw me watching him. He smiled, almost sheepishly, as he wiped the last remaining bit of the green goop from my leg.

"Ah," he whispered. "Now take a look at that."

I tore my eyes away from the planes of his face, which I had been in the process of memorizing, and looked with wonder down at my leg.

Where just yesterday it was clearly showing the first signs of infection, the cut on my leg was clean and pink, the edges clearly showing a desire to meet again. The bruises, though still frighteningly dark, weren't nearly as grotesque and ached half as badly as before.

"That's amazing," I whispered, leaning over to switch on my lamp and inspect it fully. "How is it possible?"

Ayden shrugged, so nonchalant.

"Magic."

"Hah," I replied, though the inflection of my tone suggested I almost half believed; I was sure Ayden hadn't missed it, and if that were true he gave no implications of it.

Wasn't everything around me already dripping with some kind of magical element? Why couldn't this be the same?

"Whatever your mom put in that ointment really did the trick," I commented.

"It was wolfs bane," he said, almost laughing. Though he was able to suppress a chuckle, his smile gave him away.

"Haaaaah," I said, pointing my finger at him. "You're so funny!"

He shrugged, obviously pleased I'd gotten the joke behind it.

We sat there in awkward silence, and I rubbed around the pink sore on my leg, thoroughly amazed that it had begun the arduous task of heeling.

"It will probably scar," Ayden interjected, watching my awe. "Though my mom could probably make something to fix that."

"Could she really?" I asked, hopeful. I didn't need a great, big, puckered scar to remind me of a lapse into complete idiocy.

"Sure," was his reply. He sat very still, thinking quietly. "It would probably be best if she saw it for herself, though, so she would know what proportions she would need for ingredients, and the potency, things like that."

"Alright," I replied. "When can she come over?"

Ayden smiled softly at me.

"Actually, I was thinking about bringing you to her," he told me. "I mean, you'll have to meet my family eventually; might as well kill two birds with one stone."

"I'm not very fond of killing birds," I replied darkly. He read the hidden meaning behind this statement, and frowned.

I considered how I really felt about this for a moment; I'd felt strongly for several of my previous boyfriends, each one more so than the one before, but never had I taken that vital step toward formality. Especially now, with the relationship between myself and Ayden so desperate to blossom into something beautiful and unique, meeting my beau's parents had always felt so final, like we planned to be wed.

Don't get me wrong, marriage was the dream of every little girl world-wide, and I was no exception; but the thought of how surreal everything still was held me in check.

"I'd love to meet your family, Ayden," I corrected. "But not just yet; I'm still trying to absorb everything."

Ayden nodded in compliance. This he obviously understood. Without another word, he began to rub his mother's ointment over my leg once more, though with a much thinner layer this time, patting the excess off with a clean gauze. I folded my hands over my stomach, watching him silently.

I yawned deeply; Ayden glanced at me, then over to the alarm clock.

"I should leave you for the night," he whispered, wiping his hands clean. "When you shower tomorrow, you can rinse this off. Let the cut absorb some air, it'll speed up the healing process."

Like it wasn't already abnormally fast. I nodded to indicate I understood his instructions, eager to put the incident behind me.

He smiled over at me before leaning in for a goodnight kiss. His lips felt feverishly warm, and I signed with relief to know my temperature was finally close to normal.

"Will you come back tomorrow?" I asked, hopeful, as he pulled away.

"Sooner than you know," he answered.

He repeated his kiss, and in a flash, before I could stop him or he could change his mind, he launched himself from my window.

Silence surrounded me.

I noticed for the first time the subtle lightening of the sky; the tree frogs' song was growing quiet, only a small handful of individuals continued their fervent chirping. The loons were absent completely from the glassy face of the lake of the early morning spectacle.

My eyes fluttered sleepily, and it wasn't long before I, too, joined the other nocturnal woodland creatures in slumber.


	8. Fishing

A/N: Thank you to everyone for the views and favorite. I was half expecting this thing to be completely overlooked, especially because of the millions of other Twilight fics. I've also finally re-read over what I've already posted and fixed a few inconsistencies. If anyone can find anything else, please let me know!

The morning dawned bright and cheery, though I wasn't awake to see it. Jake felt the need to inform me of the splendid sunrise from across the kitchen table, his arms fluttering around with excitement. I grumbled my half-sympathetic appreciation over the pancakes my aunt so happily made for me after I rolled out of bed around noon. Though I had almost hesitated, feeling like I didn't need the extra weight dragging me down, I justified the food with the determination to make up for it later; though my motivation to see it through was just about non-existent.

"The colors were awesome!" Jake proclaimed through my self-conscious thoughts. I glanced over at him, and his eyes were turned up in awe, admiring the vision only he could see. He sighed whimsically, and turned to me.

I nodded. "Sounds like I missed something pretty incredible," I mumbled through a mouthful of pancakes. Banana. Yummy.

"Oh, for sure!" he literally chimed.

I shook my head and couldn't help but smile; Jake was the biggest nature freak I'd ever met. He lived for things like this, and I couldn't shake the knowledge that had he lived in New York with me rather than visit occasionally, he would have gotten his ass beat on a regular basis. Ah, the rough and tumble of the big city.

I trembled with relief that I no longer needed to keep glancing over my shoulder every now and again, checking for danger. It was easy to forget the survival skills I'd acquired, now that I was in a place where everyone's main focus was on where the fish were biting, or what color fabric to use for the curtains.

I finished my pancakes soon after, chugging a glass of milk my aunt placed before me to wash it down.

"You look so much better today, Willow," she commented, placing an affectionate hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks, Auntie Connie," I replied. "I feel much better. And thank you for breakfast, you didn't have to."

She raised her hands before her as a gesture for silence, and replied, "Please, it's what I do, you need to eat and it makes me happy."

She was such a wonderful woman; I made a mental note to buy her something nice for her birthday.

After I helped my aunt clean up, since it was the polite thing to do, I clambered back up to my room for a fresh change of clothes. I grabbed a stringy tank top and a pair of shorts with the intention of soaking up some of the summer sun while I still could.

The ointment that Ayden had smeared over my skin during the night had dried and cracked, and it rinsed off very easily in the shower. The bruises around the cut were beginning to show signs of healing, turning that lovely yellowish-green color around the edges. The cut itself was small enough now that a normal sized Band-Aid would just about cover it.

I climbed out of the shower, feeling extremely refreshed and capable, drying myself slowly. I took some extra time to shave my legs, wrapped in the towel on the edge of the tub. I hummed a familiar tune to myself, enjoying the chance to pamper myself.

After I'd rinsed the lather from my legs, and they felt smooth as silk, I pulled my clothes on. I wrapped my damp hair into a bun on the top of my head, and loosely pressed a Band-Aid across the cut on my leg, to protect it from the sunlight. I laid the towels I'd used over the hamper to let them dry, and exited the bathroom, taking a detour back to my room to retrieve a few necessities for tanning.

I fished my sunglasses out of my duffel bag, and placed them on my dressed beside my pack of cigarettes. I dug around my drawer, looking for some tanning oil. I could tell which drawer I'd stashed it in because I could smell the coconut; I loved the smell of coconut.

I spread the coconut oil over my arms and legs, careful to avoid the Band-Aid, and my feet, as well as across my shoulders. I wiped my hands on my shorts, and tucked the bottle under my arm as I placed my sunglasses on my face and snatched up my cigarettes on my way out the door.

At the bottom of the stairs I turned toward the front of the house, and it didn't take long for me to realize that there was no one there; all the windows were thrown open, and the screens were on the storm doors. The actual doors themselves were propped open with wedges of wood.

It really was turning out to be a very beautiful afternoon.

I pulled a blanket off the back of one of the sofas, a thin quilt like the one across my bed, only it was a mustard yellow color with a blue flower patterned fabric sewn in. I made a decision to take this one upstairs with me when I went to bed; I just loved ugly blankets, for some reason.

The sun was incredibly bright today. It made me glad I'd grabbed my sunglasses, that was for sure. The sky was void of clouds, a bright blue which stretched from the treetops on one side of the yard to the treetops on the other side, and all the way down the length of the lake to the mountains in the distance.

I skipped down toward the water, wondering if I'd regret not bringing a book or my iPod with me, when I noticed Jake perched on the edge of an old stump by the edge of the sand. He was casting with a long, spindly pole, the movement practiced and graceful. It seemed to me more like a way of meditation for him than any kind of intention to catch a fish. I re-routed to head in his direction, and spread the blanket out on a sunny patch of sand nearby, being careful not to disturb his peace.

The warm sunlight felt wonderful against my skin; according to me, I was pasty. Because of my heritage I had naturally darker, olive skin. No matter how much time I spent away from the sun, there was always going to be someone more ghostly than me. But that didn't change how _I_ felt about my lack of a tan; and right now I just needed one.

I stretched out on the blanket and groaned softly. Jake threw a glance over his shoulder, but didn't seem to surprised to find me sprawled out on the little beach.

"'Sup, Will?" he asked conversationally, turning his eyes back toward the water to cast again.

"Nothing much," I sighed, stifling a yawn. "Just catching some sun."

He rose to his feet, and stepped away from the stump, backing toward the blanket. He stopped beside me, and nudged me in the side with his toe, asking me to slide over a bit. I obliged, and with his lure still in the water, he settled onto the blanket beside me, reeling the line in slowly with an occasional small, sharp jerk of the pole. His eyes were squinted against the sunlight, and I noticed his sunglasses folded against his chest, hanging from the collar of his shirt. I knew he wasn't dumb enough to forget they were there, and so figured he had a reason for not wearing them. So instead of making a stupid suggestion, I lowered my head to the blanket to enjoy the vitamin D.

"So, what are you fishing for?" I asked him, splaying my fingers out on the blanket.

"Whatever I can catch," he replied, his focus unwavering. His big hazel eyes were trained on some invisible place above the water, unblinking.

"What kinds of fish have you caught here before?"

"Perch, bass, lots of blue gill, crappies-"

I snorted.

I'll admit that while I have always prided myself in my relatively mature sense of everything, sometimes I caught myself responding immaturely to something that was equally as immature. It wasn't something I enjoyed about myself, but it was who I was, and all I could do was remain aware of it and fix the situations which were rendered otherwise hazardous to a relationship due to that sense of humor.

"Sorry," I said without hesitation, and very quickly. One thing you did _not_ do was poke fun at Jake's love for nature, least of all, nature itself.

"'S okay," he replied with a shrug. I really didn't want my cousin to feel badly about his hobby, or himself, because that wasn't at all what I found funny. But part of me relaxed at his reassurance, because I knew he was smart enough to know that I didn't mean to hurt him.

We sat in silence for a while, absorbing each others' company. I listened to the click, click-click-click, clicking of the reel on the pole, and could feel the tiny waves of heat rising from the surface of my skin as the afternoon grew progressively hotter.

Pretty soon I took a break from sunbathing, and sat up to light a cigarette. Jake glanced over from the corner of his eye, then back to the water. He cleared his throat, and I knew he wanted one. Being more of the type of person to respect someone's decisions about their own body, I handed the pack over to him. Without any hesitation, he lit one up, and we sat together smoking quietly.

It was picturesque, though probably a scene from my aunt's worst nightmare.

Soon enough, Jake landed a fish on the end of the line, and instantly our moods went from nonchalance to exhilaration.

"What is it, what is it?" I yelled stupidly.

"I have to reel it in first!" Jake replied, laughing at my enthusiasm.

It wasn't a very exciting fish; The turquoise stripes on its cheeks flashed luminously in the sunshine.

"What is it?" I asked again.

"It's a pumpkin seed," Jake said, skillfully removing the fish from the hook and releasing it.

"What a cute name for a cute fish," I commented as I watched it dart away into deeper water, scattering tiny minnows in its wake.

"Having fun?"

I literally threw myself away from the sound of Ayden's voice, clambering in a panic around Jake.

"What the hell, Ayden!" I shouted, clutching at the back of Jake's plaid shirt. Jake stood very still, unsure of how to proceed. "I swear you're going to give me a premature heart attack! I can't remember the last time my nerves felt so strung-out!"

"Dude, that's saying a lot," Jake offered. "She's a big-city girl."

I growled under my breath, glaring at Ayden from behind the crook of Jake's elbow.

"I'm sorry," Ayden said. "I was coming over to check on you, and I couldn't help but be distracted by your commotion over here. I was interested, but didn't want to disturb whatever was so exciting."

"Just a fish," Jake said, pulling away from my grip and stepping forward to shake Ayden's hand in greeting.

"How are you, my friend?" Ayden asked, gripping Jake's hand in his own.

"I'm good, thanks," Jake responded. "And you? How's Kimi? She was looking pretty hot the other night."

I almost threw up.

"Very well, thank you," Ayden replied, with a chuckle. "Kimi is fine, as well."

Ayden cast a furtive glance my way as Jake absorbed that information.

"Willow seems to be in high spirits today," he observed, turning back to Jake.

"Yeah," Jake agreed, smiling apologetically at me. I knew he felt like the incident at the dock was his fault, no matter how hard I would try to convince him otherwise. I just smiled back.

"Actually, I feel pretty good," I joked. "Thanks for asking."

I grinned widely at Ayden, trying to seem annoyed. It was hard. Ayden smiled softly back at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners, his teeth even and sparkling. God, he was beautiful. If I hadn't already been so convinced I was a vixen in my own right, I would have felt plain beside him. And yet, I was finding myself feeling more self-conscious these days.

Jake turned back toward the water, crisis averted, and tried really hard to ignore us; his sneaky, yet completely obvious glances in our direction indicated his failure.

"Well, hello there, Ayden," I said quietly, completely forgetting the near heart attack he'd given me a few minutes previously.

"Good afternoon, Willow," he replied in a terribly husky and incredibly sexy voice.

Oh, God.

"Quit teasing me," I warned, throwing him an invitingly contradictory glare.

"And how am I teasing you, Will?" he asked me so quietly, I was almost sure he hadn't said anything.

"You know," I mumbled just as softly.

"Let's go for a walk," Ayden suggested, taking my hand in his. As tempting as this was, I didn't want to leave Jake. He wasn't going to be here much longer, and I wasn't sure how long it would be before I'd get to see him again.

"Let's not," I replied, turning my face up to his.

"Jake, I'm going to borrow Willow for a minute, if you don't mind," Ayden said, right over my head. Awesome. I rolled my eyes, and turned to Jake.

"Where are you going?" Jake asked, eyeing us speculatively.

"Just a little walk," I replied. "I guess."

"We won't go far," Ayden added reassuringly.

Jake shrugged.

"Alright," he sad without any sign of disapproval. "Just make sure you're back soon, I wand you to show me your signature cast."

Ayden flashed him a mischievous grin, and I knew the idea of a walk had flown completely from his mind. I sighed with relief; I'd really wanted to hang out with Jake.

"You think you can handle it?" Aden asked.

"Try me."

Their competitive male nature took over, and they pretty much forgot I was there. Ayden sauntered over to Jake, who handed over his fishing pole. They went to stand by the water's edge, and I moved the blanket away from the creeping shadows of the trees to a sunnier patch of sand.

I watched them for a while, and eventually repositioned myself on my stomach so I could watch them. I let the sun warm my back as I watched Ayden with rapt attention.

He had just finished describing the art of his cast in detail, and was about to demonstrate for Jake.

Oh, goodie!

Ayden was wearing an extremely flattering pair of jeans; you know the kind, the ones that hugged all the right places, and accentuated all of the right parts. His shirt was rather tight around his shoulders and upper chest, making those muscles appear to bulge, while it hung a bit loosely around his mid-section; it was a beautiful shade of dark cyan, and clearly made of a soft cotton. Just the analysis of his outfit made my mouth water.

As I was beginning to marvel at the silky black ribbons falling gracefully across his face, he made his first demonstration, and I practically fainted from the instantaneous spread of heat throughout my body. Watching Ayden's muscles glide effortlessly and so beautifully underneath the russet tone of his skin made me doubt myself, and for the first time I wondered why he'd chosen me as a companion.

At that moment, Ayden handed off the pole to Jake, who took it eagerly, and turned to grin at me.

My God, have I told you how incredibly gorgeous he was?

I rolled over to sit up, and swallowed, hard.

He jogged over-another breath-taking sight- and flopped down on the blanket, very close to me. Without a word or a warning, he wrapped his arm around my back, his hand resting gently in the curve between my ribs and hip. It made me feel terribly self-conscious, which was a new experience for me entirely, but I endured. The feeling I got when he was this close was enough to quell my anxiety.

"How are you today, Miss Willow?" Ayden asked me; I could feel the rumble from his voice in my chest.

"Fine, thank you," I replied. Ayden stroked the discolored bruises on my leg with his free hand. I was thanking God at that moment that I had been compelled to shave my legs after I'd showered.

Ayden breathed deeply.

"You smell like coconuts," he pointed out, with obvious pleasure.

"Is that bad?" I asked anyway.

"Not at all," he replied softly. "In fact, you smell mouth-watering."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I settled for gaping at him stupidly. He laughed, the sound tickling my ears, and he squeezed me close.

"My family is taking advantage of the weather today," Ayden began conversationally. "We're launching our boat in the lake, making a big occasion of it. Would you and Jake like to join?"

I thought about this for a moment, unsure of what to do. Ayden watched me carefully, calculating what I might say.

Just before I had the chance to open my mouth to decline the offer, Ayden turned to Jake.

"Hey, Jake," he called.

"Yeah?"

"You want to go out on my family's boat this afternoon?" he asked.

"Sure," Jake replied cautiously. "If Willow wants to go," he added after a short pause.

I could make out the twinkle of excitement behind Jake's eyes, and I sighed. No doubt he hoped Kimi would be there. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, whatever," I caved. "Should we bring anything?"

Jake had reeled in his line for the last time, hooking the lure to an eyelet so it wouldn't swing freely. He came over to stand before us.

"Nothing special," Ayden answered me. "Come over to my place around five."

Ayden kissed my cheek; Jake pretended not to notice, and I felt my face flush with color. Ayden rose to his feet, brushing sand from the back of his jeans.

"Don't eat before you come over," he instructed, more to Jake than me, who was standing right in front of him. "We'll have tons of food."

Ayden smiled down at me before he turned toward the dirt road that let back into town.

"Oh," he said, turning back toward us with a finger in the air, never slowing his pace though he was walking backward. "Be sure to wear your bathing suits."

Ayden winked before he jogged off and disappeared beyond the tree line.

Oh, great. Yet another chance to be awkward.

"He's so strange, sometimes," Jake commented.

I snorted my agreement.

Jake beamed as I followed him back to the cabin; I ground my teeth together, the blanket thrown over my arm. I paused at the front porch, watching Jake practically float into the house with delight, and I unfolded the blanket to shake out the sand. I took out some of my frustration on the blanket, being sure not one grain of sand remained embedded in its threads.

Before I make myself look like a candidate for anger management, I should point out how unusually uncomfortable I was.

I was still afraid of what I was sharing with Ayden, I still heard Jake's warning ringing at the back of my mind. Though I knew his interpretation of the situation was way off the mark, it was still somewhat disconcerting.

I shook the blanket a couple of more times, just to be extra sure since I had the intention of putting it on my bed. I folded it neatly, and with a heavy sigh, went into the cabin.

My dad and uncle were sitting on the sofas, sprawled out with beer in their hands. They had golf on the television, and I tried to avoid that conversation at all cost.

"Willow!" my dad said.

Ah, well it was worth a try.

"Hey, Dad."

"What's up?" My dad asked, shifting in his seat so he could see me better. "I feel like I haven't seen you in days."

"Ah, well we've all been pretty busy," I answered. "You know, with the camping and the fishing and the hiking."

He smiled at me.

"Want to go golfing this weekend?"

No.

"Sure," I said. I hated golf; I sucked at it, too. But my dad loved it, and I loved spending time with him, so it was worth the embarrassment of being anti-athletic.

At that moment, someone did something that was exciting to everyone but me on the TV, and he turned away from me to catch the moment. I seized the opportunity to slip away, and scrambled up the stairs as fast as I could.

In my room, I folded up the white quilt that I had been using, and placed it on my dresser. I smoothed the mustard-and-blue blanket in its place, and turned to my dresser to pull out a suit.

I had a few to choose from, and I wasn't sure which would be appropriate to wear, considering I'd be meeting Ayden's family. Also, I had to factor in what I'd be comfortable wearing, since I'd grow more conscious of my body since I'd met the most gorgeous guy alive.

In a huff, I grabbed all of them and stomped off to the bathroom. I locked the door, and stripped down to put on my first choice: a small bikini I'd wear to parties back in the city when my friend's would rent hotel rooms and we'd invade the pool. It was brightly colored, and looked good when I had a tan, and with it on I felt flashy and sexy. Maybe too flashy, and definitely too sexy; I could feel the top practically slipping off already. What a good laugh it would be fore everyone if it fell off.

Yeah, next.

I pulled it off and tried another, a simple blue tank-ini with white stripes along the sides. It tied off in the back, and the strings tickled every time I moved. This also made me feel uncomfortable, since it'd be too easy to pull the strings loose, and I tore it off in a temper.

I stared at myself in the mirror while I contemplated. I'd always imagined myself to be beautiful, and the ecstatic remarks I'd received in the past never ceased to corroborate that idea. I ran my hand over the small bulge in my stomach, which prevented it from laying flat, and frowned.

This was a new feeling for me, and I wasn't so sure I liked it. If most girls felt like this all of the time, I decided I'd rather not be lumped into that category.

I shook my head, dislodging the negativity, and held up the only other suit I had. It was a black one-piece with gold rings on the straps for a bit of embellishment. The back was open, coming down to a low point, forming a V. With a shrug I pulled it on, and examined myself.

It wasn't too bad, and as another plus, it was modest.

My hair, which had begun to dry, was askew with frizz, and I let it down from the bun I'd confined it to, and shook it loose. The dark curls cascaded down my shoulders, across my back. I ran my fingers through it, freeing some of the tangles, and pulled out my blow-dryer to soften some of the kinks that had manifested from the hair tie.

Once it was smooth and manageable again, and I felt satisfied, I gathered up my other suits and clothes, returning to my room to put them in their respected places. I glanced at the clock; it blinked four twenty three. With a scrunch of my face, I pulled on a pair of jeans, unwilling to flash the bruises on my shin, and an old tie-dye tee that I'd found in a used clothing shop a few years earlier.

Without warning, Jake came bounding through my door.

"Are you ready?" He exclaimed fervently, clutching the molding around the doorway.

With wide eyes and shaky resolve, I nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Great, grab a sweater and we'll get out of here," he replied, with equal excitement. "I'll meet you in the car!"

He tore from my room and stomped down the stairs.

_Wow_, I thought to myself. _I wish I could find that kind of enthusiasm._

With a heavy sigh, I snatched up an NYU hoodie, and with it tucked in the crook of my arm, I grabbed my cigarettes which laid forgotten at the foot of my bed. Before I was even through the doorway of my room, I turned back and rummaged around the top of my dresser for my neglected cell phone in case of an emergency. None of my so-called friends from back home had called me, and I was certainly not going to call them. Obviously they weren't too bored to remember I still existed.

I huffed, trying to shake off the small bought of anger that began to rise in my chest, and stomped down the hallway, down the stairs, and out of the house to meet Jake at his car.


	9. Party

Chapter 9

Jake was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel in an extremely annoying way. He'd tuned the radio to one of the popular rock stations, and I was trying hard to keep myself under control. From the anxiety I felt grew irritation, and hand-in-hand they made a rather unfriendly companion. I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I watched the trees flash by,

"Do you think Kimi will be there?" Jake ventured to ask. "I hope she is, she's so nice," he said, without giving me the chance to answer.

I turned toward him, a frown furrowing my brows, and a kind of disbelief contorting my eyes. He didn't bother to notice, but continued grinning in manic exhilaration. I rolled my eyes and attempted to rub the crease from between my eyebrows. His happiness was making me even more nervous, and I was beginning to feel nauseous.

A song came on the radio then, and with a cry of joy, Jake turned up the volume, and I clapped a hand to my forehead.

No matter how close Ayden's place was to ours, this ride was going to be a long one.

Three excruciating songs later, and Jake muted the radio as we turned off yet another dirt drive, and made our way toward Ayden's home. I swallowed violently, trying to push the lump I felt creeping toward my throat back down, and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Jake was focused now, as the road was getting narrower, and his eyes swept the area.

"They have a lot of deer out this way," he explained, though I didn't ask. "Have to be careful, they can do a lot of damage, even if I'm going fifteen miles an hour."

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.

"Ah, and here we are," he proclaimed as the trees broke and a clearing sprung into view. He swung the car around the edge, and parked near an old Buick and a rusting Ford, the models of which I didn't care about because I was working hard to keep myself from hyperventilating.

Jake threw his Honda into park, and practically ripped his seat belt off as he clambered out of the car, slamming the door behind him. I paused, taking my time so I could put off this unappealing event.

"Come on, Will!" he shouted through the window at me. I gave him a dirty look, which he returned with a frantic wave of his hands to hurry me along, and I stepped out of the car. I clutched at my sweater, with my cigarettes tucked safely in its pocket, for dear life, and followed Jake toward the sounds of merriment and the smell of grilling.

Ayden's house stood nestled against a copse of trees, which separated it slightly from the water behind it. The color scheme was modest, a grayish base color with dark blue shutters around the windows; it was a one story house, and looked small, but it reached back toward the trees at an angle I could just make out from the direction we were coming from, casting doubt on its deceit regarding its size. A single chimney reached toward the sky from the far side of the roof, a light gray bricked monolith which stood out from the dull trunks and green foliage behind it. I stuck close to Jake's heels, his long strides and brisk walk threatening to leave me behind.

I could hear voices wafting toward us from somewhere near the water, and suddenly someone laughed, the sound booming over all the other noise. Immediately, my heart jumped up into my throat, and for a long, agonizing second, I couldn't catch my breath.

Jake was growing impatient with my shuffling gate, and when we rounded the corner of the house and found ourselves upon the party, he galloped off join. I simply stood there awkwardly, my sweater held in front of me, and looked around for the least embarrassing way of entry.

I scanned the slew of people, keeping a particularly sharp eye out for Ayden, who I imagined would tower over the rest of the party. I took a few steps toward Jake, who had squeezed himself into a group of people, and was wasting no time tossing a few jokes around. I stood awkwardly just behind him for some time, smiling politely as the others around him laughed uproariously.

I pulled my sweater over my head, mostly because I was feeling severely uncomfortable, and tugged up my sleeves. I glanced around in desperation for Ayden, but wasn't surprised there was still no sign of him.

"Willow?"

With a start, I turned around to find Nova smiling brightly at me.

"Willow! I thought that was you!" She cried, reaching out to hug me.

"Hey, Nova," I practically sputtered with relief, embracing her in return.

"How are you? I haven't seen you in a while," She asked me conversationally.

"Uhm," I replied, taking a deep breath before I answered. "Well, I've been alright; just had a scare recently, I knocked my leg on a dock and it got pretty nasty."

"You're kidding!" She exclaimed, with an air of already having known. "What happened?"

I described the short version of the incident, cringing inwardly at the memory of it, and showed her my bruises and the Band-Aid which covered the cut.

"And Ayden brought some of his mom's ointment over?" She asked me when she was done inspecting the injury.

"Yeah," I replied. "It helped a lot, and I think I would have ended up in the hospital if he hadn't shown up with it."

Nova grinned mischievously at me, her eyes sparkling with some widely-known yet closely guarded secret, and complimented Ayden's good timing.

"Hey, where is he, by the way?" I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh, he's around here somewhere," She replied, more casually than I could ever pull off. She took a swig from a can of Dr. Pepper, burping lightly and without concern.

I almost smiled, though more from awkward amusement than anything else.

Nova threw her arm around my shoulders, and began towing me around the yard, introducing me to people whose names I could never remember. I recognized someone, however; the blonde who had been working at the coffee shop when I had met Ayden there, which felt like ages ago.

"This is Oni," Nova said, punching his upper arm.

"Ah, what the-" he complained, turning to face her. "Stop hitting me, Nova, that's three times today!"

"Sure thing," she replied, indifferent.

Oni nodded at me; apparently he recognized me. He turned back to Nova.

"Don't you have someone else to bother?" he asked her, his tone contradicting his attempt at anger. She stuck her tongue out at him, and turned away, leading me off in another direction.

"Oni is a sourpuss," she explained when we were out of range of his hearing. We were walking slowly now, toward the shoreline.

"Oni?" I asked curiously.

"Hm?" she turned to look at me.

"What is Oni short for?"

"Oh, it's short for snow."

Nova skipped over to the water, only a few feet away, and I followed her with my gaze, confused.

Snow?

"Come on, Willow!" she called, setting her soda in the sand and kicking off her flip-flops. I joined her by the water; She sprawled out in the sand, her legs stretched out before her. I sat beside her, crossing my legs and my arms.

"Loosen up, Will," Nova demanded, giving me a light shove. "Quit looking so awkward; you'd think we were judging you!"

She smiled kindly at me, and I laughed, relaxing a little.

We talked about trivial things, passing the time as the late afternoon wore into early evening. I learned a lot about Nova, however; she was from a different part of the Adirondacks, and had ended up in this little corner of the mountains after she had met what she described as the most gorgeous, generous, and single funniest person alive.

As if on cue, Rick melted from the small crowd of people, and fell down into the sand beside Nova.

"And here he is!" she laughed. "The love of my life."

"Oh," I said, trying to be polite. "How romantic." I could feel the embarrassment dripping from my voice.

"Rick, you remember Willow?" Nova asked, snuggling against him under his arm.

"Yeah, how could I forget a face like that?" he joked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Where have you been?" Nova queried Rick as he took a swig of her soda.

"Ah, we were out at the point," he replied, and shook water from his hair. "We were jumping off the diving rock over by the fallen oak tree."

Nova nodded, clearly disinterested, but more transfixed with watching him talk. I looked away, and back toward the throng of guests.

I watched Jake, who had finally sought out the company of Kimi, trying to impress her with his humor; she didn't seem too interested, and it made me feel a sudden animosity toward her.

At that moment I witnessed a little girl come tumbling from the legs of the crowd, tearing up the beach in a mad sprint. I watched her as she ran past us, and Nova giggled.

"Ayden!" the little girl cried. "Ayden, Ayden, Ayden!"

She ran straight toward him, and I felt my breath catch in my throat when I saw him. Her hair trailed behind her, long black ribbons just like Ayden's, which rippled like clear water as he lifted her to his arms. He buried his face in her hair, and she laughed loudly, a tinkling of little golden bells. He smiled down at her, his hair falling forward to obscure my view of his face.

"Hey, Ayden!" Nova called across me, leaning forward to see him better.

He whipped his head around, the ebony ribbons sent askew, and squinted down the beach at us; the sun was setting, and its last feeble rays were shining in his direction. He cracked a wide grin, hitching the small girl over onto his hip, and sauntered over.

"Well, hello there," he said as he reached us. I smiled up at him, and Nova downed the last of her soda.

"Time for another," she sighed, and rose to her feet. She brushed the sand from the back of her shorts, and held her hand out to Rick. "You guys want anything?"

"I'll have a coke," Ayden replied. He lowered himself down beside me, and pulled the girl around into his lap, where she began tugging at his locks of hair and mumbling to herself.

"Willow?" she turned to me.

"I'll have whatever; it doesn't matter to me."

She rolled her eyes, and disappeared.

"I'm glad to see you, Willow," Ayden whispered over the little girl's head. "I was worried you wouldn't show."

I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Jake wouldn't have passed this up for the world," I replied.

Ayden glanced out across his yard, and spotted Jake immediately. He had his arm around Kimi, who was eyeing us with displeasure.

"Ah," he said, and turned away, ignoring them. "I see why."

I shook my head, allowing laughter to bubble up; Ayden smiled.

"So who is this bonny lass?" I asked, indicating the small girl in Ayden's lap.

"This one?" He asked, tickling her sides; she squealed with delight, and tugged on his hair. He didn't flinch, but laughed loudly.

"This is the most important lady in the world to me," he declared, smoothing her hair. "Her name is Alyssa, and she is my baby sister."

"I'm not a baby anymore, Ayden," she retorted in her little voice.

"Excuse me; She's my younger sister," he corrected.

Satisfied, Alyssa snuggled up against Ayden's chest, and smiled over at me; She stuffed her fingers in her mouth, her hair falling across her face in a manner I had become familiar with in Ayden. He brushed his own locks out of his eyes, and wrapped his arms around her.

Nova reappeared then, pressing a can of orange soda against my shoulder.

"I hope that's okay," she said, settling into the sand beside me. Rick wasn't with her.

"This is great," I assured her, cracking it open and taking a small sip. "Where'd Rick go?"

"Hm?" she asked, shoveling the sand with her bare feet. "Oh, I dunno, he wandered off somewhere."

She leaned across me then and ruffled Alyssa's hair, to her sheer delight.

"Hey there, squirt," she said, poking her belly; she giggled.

"I am nadda sqwort!" she protested, a mock frown of resentment coloring her tiny features.

"Absolutely not," Ayden cooed. He smoothed her hair back into place; she was practically purring with contentment.

"Alyssa, why don't you take Nova and show her your castle?" Ayden asked, rocking her forward.

"Yeah!" Alyssa cried, her eyes snapping wide. She turned a bright and gleefully expectant smile at Nova.

Glaring skeptically at Ayden, Nova took a swig of her soda before answering.

"Sounds good to me," she said finally, reaching out toward Alyssa and taking her hand as she rose to her feet. "Let's go find Rick, we can bury him in the sand."

With a hysterical giggle, Alyssa clambered from Ayden's lap, her hand firmly gripping Nova's, and skipped after her.

I looked over at Ayden, almost sheepishly; he was smiling after his little sister.

"She's beautiful," I commented.

Ayden turned back to me; the light was growing dim, and the way it illuminated his russet face was breath-taking. He grinned, nodding his head.

"She really is a picture; she's going to break a lot of hearts when she's older," he replied, watching as Alyssa tugged Nova around.

"I can only imagine," I said, watching him closely.

He was distracted for a moment, though I could see the gears turning in his head just behind his eyes; he was contemplating something fierce, that was for sure.

"So," he began, breaking from his reflections and inching closer to me. "How is your leg?"

I could see Kimi visibly cringe from the corner of my eye, and though I felt somewhat sorry for her, I couldn't help the exhilaration that thrilled through me from Ayden's proximity.

"It's doing very well, thank you," I replied, patting my shin where the small cut was located and the bruises were fading. "All thanks to you."

Ayden thrust up his hands in protest, palms facing me, and shook his head.

"Credit must go where it is due: to my mother," he corrected me, thought I could tell by his expression he was rather pleased. "It was her ointment, after all."

"So modest," I complimented, smiling furtively. "However, you were the one who took such good care of me."

Ayden laughed.

"Yeah, I guess so," he agreed. "I suppose I have to accept _some_ of the credit."

I nodded, glancing around us at Ayden's friends and family; I had been curious about them, and here was my chance to finally get to know more about him.

"So, who all is here?" I asked, twisting around in the sand.

"Mostly just my family and pack members," he replied, turning toward the crowd. "Some of their families are here, as well; it's a fairly tight-knit community we have here. "

I nodded, not fully comprehending exactly what he meant at the time.

"This guy closest to us now, the one with the bleached hair, that's Oni," he explained.

"I know, Nova introduced us earlier," I replied. "He works at the coffee shop?"

"He does," Ayden said, nodding. "He was working the night I met you there." He paused momentarily, then added, "He bleaches his hair, if you hadn't noticed."

"Really?" I asked in a sarcastically surprised tone. I felt myself loosening up.

"Yes he does, believe it or not," Ayden joked, flashing a pearly grin.

"That couple over there," he said, pointing toward the back of his house, indicating two people standing side-by-side on the back deck, "are my parents: Shiraz and Jonah."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, taking a good long look.

Ayden had clearly received his tall, strong build from his father, but inherited his mother's kind, soft eyes and gentle face. The only difference was the sharp plane of his nose, which was his father's.

I glanced back at him, admiring the curve of his shoulders through the fabric of his shirt; it was blue today, which accented well against his reddish brown skin.

"And of course you know Nova and Rick," Ayden said, gesturing down the beach toward them.

I turned, and let out a hoot of laughter, which Ayden smiled appreciatively at. A little way along the sandy shore, by the sleepy light of the dying sun, Nova and Alyssa had managed to bury all but Rick's head and toes in the sand, which he was wiggling frantically as they patted him in feverishly. Nova was smiling brightly, while Alyssa giggled triumphantly, and Rick howled in protest. I knew he wasn't serious, however, because of the grin that was spread from ear-to-ear.

I could see Kimi stalking around in my periphery, being sure to keep myself and Ayden within her radar. Exasperated, I felt the need to bring her behavior up with Ayden.

"Ah, Kimi," he sighed, absent-mindedly rubbing his chin, his brow furrowing in thought. "Kimi has a few… Territorial issues."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, rather too harshly.

"Well," Ayden began patiently, "She's got a bit of a thing for me, and being as hot-headed as she is, she feels very inclined to butt her muzzle in where it doesn't belong."

I thought his habit of including wolfish terms and phrases in every-day speaking was pretty cute. Though it didn't resolve my disquiet.

"So why hasn't she done anything?" I asked, not daring to look at her. I could feel her boring holes into the back of my head. "I mean, it's obvious she wants to." I could imagine her hair prickling with anger, her fingers curling into claws.

"The pack master ordered her not to interfere," he replied, shrugging as though it were of little importance. "So she's bottling it up."

"So whatever the pack master says, you do?" I asked curiously.

Ayden shrugged.

"Something to that extent," he replied. "He usually doesn't exercise control over anyone, and none of us are really stupid enough to not listen to him, but Kimi's got a strong sense of pride and ego, and she's determined as all hell. She tends to be an awful lot to handle, and is usually the only one receiving direct orders. She's just the one who needs to be kept in line most often."

"Ah," I replied, as if I knew full well what Kimi was capable of; or what Ayden was talking about, for that matter. At that time I couldn't even imagine.

"What are your plans for later?" Ayden asked me, throwing me off with abrupt change of topic. He observed me flounder about in awkward contemplation with an expression I can only describe as mildly amused. He flashed a perfectly stunning smirk at me.

"Oh, well," I began, not totally sure what I planned to do that evening. Night was falling steadily, the only sunlight left was what reflected off the clouds that hung around the mantle of the sky. "I thought maybe I'd hang around here for a while, but other than that I hadn't really thought about it."

At that moment I heard footsteps behind me, and turned to see Jake and a few of his friends stumbling toward me. I wasn't surprised to see Kimi hovering on the periphery of the group. She was glaring something fierce, and I guiltily took a kind of pleasure of epicaricacy in her jealous.

"Will," he practically spit at me in his excitement, "we're all going into town, to Frank's, for some drinks; You want to come?"

I stared at him open-mouthed for a few seconds, trying to determine if he were swaying in a manner that demanded attention.

"Well, I guess," I replied, assuming _someone_ would have to be the designated driver.

"Awesome!" he cried, bending down to clap me on the shoulder. "You can drink with us!"

"Whoa," I declared immediately, raising my hands in a defensive manner. "Who's driving?"

"Kimi," he replied, pointing a finger in her direction (not very accurately, I might add) and blinked hard down at me. I was pretty sure he was already drunk. Where had he found alcohol?

I was torn: either I had to go along and risk a serious lashing or potential slaughtering from Kimi, or stay and risk something happening to my cousin.

"Do you have your cell phone?" I asked him, remembering mine which was tucked snugly in my pocket.

"Yeah, why?"

"I think I'll pass on drinks tonight," I said, shaking my head. "I don't feel up for it."

"Awe, come on," Jake protested, leaning uncomfortably close; I could smell the beer on his breath. "It'll be fun!"

I glanced over at Ayden for some support, and was disappointed to find him smiling in an irritatingly humored way down at his hands, which were folded neatly and resting calmly in his lap.

"No, thanks," I stated firmly, pushing him away from my face. He wobbled dangerously. Had we been here that long already that he had the time to get so sloshed? "Just ride out with them, and call me when you're ready to go home; I'll pick you up with your car."

"You're no fun," Jake said with an impatient wave of his hand. He turned away, as I shrugged.

"Keys," I called to him, and after spending an awfully long, embarrassing moment trying to fish them out of his pocket, tossed them over his shoulder at me. I snatched them out of the air before they hit the sand in time to see him stagger over to Kimi, who grabbed onto his arm.

Feeling a bit sour and somewhat betrayed, I stashed the keys in my pocket alongside my cigarettes, and fingered the package eagerly as I turned back to Ayden.

He was smiling at me through his curtain of hair, and I immediately forgot how I'd felt a moment before. I smiled back, though it felt somewhat guarded, and shrugged.

"Come on," he said, reaching for my hand. "Let's go mingle a bit."

Almost choking on my tongue, I allowed him to help me to my feet, spilling soda in my ascension. He led me by the hand toward a group of people milling about under the canopy of a tree. One of them was the white-haired boy, Oni, who was nursing a beer while chatting with a couple of others.

"Ayden," Oni said with an air of respect, shifting his beer from one hand to the other in order to shake Ayden's. "Quite the gathering!" he commented, gesturing around him.

"Yeah," Ayden replied. "You know how my parents are; never pass up the chance to get together, do they?"

"No, they never did."

The two of them laughed appreciatively together, and Ayden drew me closer into the circle of one of his arms.

"Have you met Willow?" Ayden asked Oni, gently squeezing me into the side of his chest.

"Oh, yeah," Oni replied, turning to me politely and reaching out to shake my hand. I took his gingerly. "Nova did the introductions, and fortunately enough I never allow that to sway my judgments."

He winked at me, and Ayden laughed. It seemed to me that Nova rubbed Oni the wrong way on a regular basis, yet he didn't seem to take it too offensively. I was pleased to see Ayden good-naturedly chuckling, as if it were a cute quirk of Nova's.

"Hey, I'm going to introduce Willow to some of us, I'll catch you later," Ayden said, and Oni clapped him on the shoulder.

"Sure thing, man."

We turned away, and Ayden guided me along to introduce me to several others. I met more of his pack, a trio of brothers named Jamie, Colin, and Caleb, as well as a very petite and mousy girl, whose name I never did catch. I think it may have been Alexis, but she didn't make a huge impression on me, and therefore it didn't stick in my mind.

Eventually we meandered over to Ayden's house, where he led me across the deck and into the small, yet functional kitchen. There was an oval table, maybe too large to look appropriate for the space it was set in, with four chairs snugly tucked under it around its edge. A booster seat was strapped firmly to the seat of one of them, and a colorful Barbie place-mat was set before it.

"Would you like a tour of the house?" Ayden asked me, absent-mindedly brushing his fingers across the top of the chair which held the booster-seat. I got the impression then that this was a common practice for him, probably a subconscious way of acknowledging his sister.

"Sure," I said, though I felt a bit uncomfortable.

Ayden cleared his throat, then led me from the room by the hand and through a doorway directly ahead of us, which led into snug, cozy living area. Over-sized tawny leather sofas were crammed around the edge of the room, encircling a fireplace with a television mounted above it on the wall to the right. It was decorated in dark brown and crimson, thick drapes opened to reveal gauzy white curtains drawn across the windows. I glanced around, appreciating the simple yet elegant taste of the room.

"Very inviting," I commented, leaning farther into the room. There was a set of blocks strewn across the red rug, and a Barbie doll laying forgotten among the wreckage.

"Yeah, my mom's decorating always wins over the ladies," he said. The sarcasm wasn't lost on me, and I smirked at him, my eyes narrowed.

"Interesting," I replied, facing him directly. "And about how many ladies have been won over, would you say?"

Ayden shrugged, appearing completely nonchalant. "Well, besides Alyssa, I was hoping maybe you." He grinned seductively down at me, and I felt my knees go weak momentarily. I was determined not to let him see me swoon, and so tore my gaze away from him.

"So what other precious treasures does your house hold?" I asked, rubbing my hands together brusquely like a greedy pirate, and Ayden laughed.

"We could head into the basement, it's where all of the exciting things are."

Ah, from what I've been told, venturing into the basement with someone _alone_ could end up being a very, very bad idea. Ayden must have read my thoughts from the expression on my face, for he guffawed loudly, and gripped me with his arm around the shoulders.

"Don't look so terrified," he chuckled. "I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to; I promise."

Feeling only ever so slightly humbled, I grinned awkwardly up at him, and allowed him to lead me back through the kitchen toward a staircase blocked off at the top by a toddler's gate. We descended the stairs, Ayden quickly and ahead of me, while I took them at my own pace. He opened a door at the foot of the steps, and stood waiting for me, a horrifically beautiful smile lighting up his face.

I got to the landing, and stood before him, shrugging my shoulders as if to say, "well, here goes nothing." Ayden happily stepped aside and allowed me access into the basement.

It wasn't anything extravagant; a deep freezer against the wall to the right, with a doorway beyond which I could see a water heater, a washer and dryer against the adjacent wall, and boxes to the left of me. There was a carpet, long and narrow, which led down a hallway in front of us. I turned to examine the items in storage before continuing deeper into the room.

There were the usual things which one would find in storage; an old bassinet, boxes of old toys and baby clothes, photo albums and framed portraits covered in dust. I poked around a bit, and found some rather interesting artifacts.

"What are these?" I asked Ayden, who had moved to stand behind me, watching me curiously with hands in his pockets. I handed one over to him, which he took gingerly from my clutches. I watched him inspect the items; dolls made of cornhusk, with beautifully patterned dresses and hair of animal fur. The dolls had no faces.

"They're dolls my grandmother made for my mother when she was very little," he replied, wistful. "Sometimes I feel like my mom doesn't think I appreciate them as much as she would like, because I'm a boy. But then I wonder what they're doing in a box in the basement. It's one of those things, you know. Someday, when Alyssa is older, my mom will give them to her. Until then, I guess they'll just collect dust down here."

I nodded, my bottom lip puckered out. I smoothed the dress of the doll I was holding, an antique yellow color, and touched the doll's hair. Ayden carefully replaced the doll he held into the box, after brushing dust from its clothes, and I laid mine right beside it. He covered them in the box with a cloth, to keep the dust off, and turned to smile at me.

"Shall we?" he asked, pushing the hair behind his left ear.

"Surely," I replied, twisting around to skip along the runner. I made my way into the little hallway, obviously finished some time after the house was built, and poked my head into an open doorway to my left. Ayden was right behind me with a mouth full of words.

"This here is my little game space," he said proudly, gesturing generally at the room. It held an over-stuffed, faded loveseat, and a rather impressive television which hung on the wall. Games and consoles were scattered around on the floor between the TV and a rather unhappy-looking coffee table, which seemed to visibly groan and sigh under the weight of magazines, more games, and some thick books.

"So," I huffed, turning back to look at Ayden. "I'm guessing you may be a bit of a freak for video games?"

Ayden chuckled, wrapping his arm around me. I noticed a dart board hanging on the wall to the left of the room.

"Freak, no," he replied. "It's just a fun way to pass the time; I have the guys over here when there's nothing else to do, and most of them you could definitely say are gaming freaks."

"Aha," I said, leaning into him. "So, what's your favorite game?"

"Darts," Ayden said, pointing toward the dartboard. "It requires a little bit more focus, and I actually have to move around and use my body to play."

"I like darts," I pointed out casually. "Maybe sometime I could kick your ass."

Ayden laughed, loud and short, and squeezed my shoulders. "If you say so, though I doubt you ever could."

"Mhm," I replied, ignoring his provocation. "So what else do you have down here?"

"Uhm, just a bathroom at the end of the hall," he responded, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "And my bedroom, but you don't want to go in there."

"And what makes you think that?" I asked, pretending to be annoyed.

"Well, for one, it's my room, and as I'm pretty sure you're aware, most guy's bedrooms are never very clean."

I laughed, and rolled my eyes.

"Whatever."

I was feeling much more comfortable, it being just myself and Ayden without the distraction or the pressure of anyone else. I ducked under the circle of his arm, and escaped over to the sofa. I threw myself into it, sprawling over the cushions and sighing heavily. My eyelids were getting heavy, and I could feel the lethargy of late-night beginning to creep over me.

"Ayden," I said, thoughts running through my head in a chaotic manner.

"Yes?" he responded, moving around the couch to sit on the coffee table before me.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"When we were camping, Jake said something about you and community college." I wasn't exactly sure what I was aiming at, and looked over at Ayden for some assistance.

"Ah," he said, clasping his hands together and leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "Yeah, and I'm sure you're probably wondering what it was that prevented me from going?"

I shrugged, then nodded.

"It was about that time that I made my first change," he explained to me, reaching up to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind his ear. "I'd applied, been accepted, and made all of the arrangements before the end of my first quarter of senior year. Then, as the change started taking place, I began missing more and more of school, almost a full quarter, and I ended up failing my first semester. I was advised it would be easier for me to drop out, apply for my GED, and then figure out the rest later on."

Ayden shrugged, and I stared at him, a mixture of disapproval and criticism contorting my face; I could feel it, and I did my best to smooth it out before he noticed.

"Jake suggested we not see each other," I commented.

"Jake is probably right," Ayden replied. He looked up at me, completely serious.

"Alright, then," I said. "Well then I guess we'll just have to disappoint him."

Ayden grinned at me, but the expression didn't reach his eyes; a subtle sadness looked out at me through them, and it hurt to see that. He had his misgivings, I was sure, and it didn't comfort me to know that.

"You agree with Jake, don't you?" I asked, knowing I wouldn't like the answer.

Ayden heaved a great sigh, and I felt his breath brush over my face. He smelled like chocolate.

"I feel apprehensive," he admitted, making a point not to look directly at me. "But as I'm sure you're perfectly aware, it's difficult to deny this, and honestly, I'm pretty greedy when I want something."

I ignored what he said about being greedy.

"Why do you feel apprehensive?"

"It's hard to say," he continued. "It could be because being with me puts you at risk, or that I'm afraid of getting my heart broken; or worse, breaking yours. Nothing about me is safe, or definite. Every day has its own trials I have to face, and being a part of it is hard enough for me, and I'm not so sure I want to drag you into it."

"Ah," was all I could say. I had to break the ice. "So, you feel greedy over me?" I grinned wolfishly at him. No pun intended, thank you.

Ayden chuckled, and nodded.

"Yeah, I supposed I do."

I have to admit, that made me feel pretty fabulous.

I stretched myself out to my full length on the loveseat, and was pleased to notice Ayden eyeing me from my peripheral vision. I smirked at myself, but pretended I hadn't seen him looking.

I could hear someone shuffling around through the ceiling above us, and wasn't surprised when someone called down the stairs.

"Ayden?" a light, sing-song voice asked. "Are you down here?"

I glanced over at Ayden, whose eyes had grown very wide, and smiled over at him.

"Uh," he hesitated, then called, "Yeah, I'm just showing Willow around."

There was a moment's pause before I could hear someone clumping down the stairs in what sounded like boxy shoes. "Willow?" the person asked, making their way toward us. Ayden's eyes bored into mine, and he was as tense as a live wire, obviously afraid of the thought of what could come of this indiscretion.

"Act normal," Ayden whispered to me.

"Normal?" I asked, staring at him quizzically.

"Like nothing happened," he clarified.

"But nothing happened," I replied, confused. "So why are we panicking?" What the hell was he talking about?

"Shh!" he spat, silencing me. Well, okay, then.

A tall, curvy, dark-skinned woman stepped into view as I readjusted myself on the couch to appear more "normal," and it took everything in me to keep my jaw from dropping to the floor and stammering some kind of inane babble. She was wearing a lofty, light blue summer dress with little white paisleys sprinkled in a random pattern over the fabric, and thick white-strapped sandals, the kind with the stiff sole. It was a kind of style that was pulled off by a very select handful of individuals, but this woman blew them all out of the water; she looked like a supermodel, without looking done-up or conceited. I had to blink repeatedly to keep my eyes from watering.

"Hey, Mom," Ayden said cautiously.

Mom? More like super-hot older sister. I officially felt like a plain-Jane, and tried really hard to keep from feeling embarrassed.

"Ah," she said, her eyes trailing over toward me. They were a soft chocolate brown, and seemed to rest delicately on whatever it was she chose to look at; in this case, it was me. She smiled warmly, her grin touching her eyes in a remarkably sweet way. "Willow, it's lovely to meet you."

"Thank you," I replied, a bit dumbfounded. "It's a pleasure."

Her grin changed from one of greeting, to that of secretive understanding. I immediately caught on to the fact that either she knew exactly what was going on, or that she assumed something a little more… How do I put it? Provocative and embarrassing. I blushed profoundly, and turned to Ayden for assistance.

I couldn't help but feel alarmed when I saw his face; so submissive and dejected. He was looking up at his mother from under his brow, and she seemed to be mirroring his expression. Was he apologizing? For what? She nodded sharply, smiling with one corner of her mouth and walking forward into the room.

"Well, Willow," she said, reaching her hand out toward me. "My name is Shiraz, and it's been a pleasure. I do hope to see you around more often! I've heard so much about you, and I'm very excited to have you as a part of our family."

Huh?

"Okay, thank you, Mom," Ayden said suddenly, jumping up from the coffee table whose edge he was perched on like a sparrow. He grabbed her shoulders, and appeared to guide her from the room, though I felt it was more like he just followed her out. She glanced back at me, a momentarily bewildered expression quickly replaced by a smile and a nod.

"Until next time."

"'Bye," I said, raising my hand from the back of the sofa to wave.

I listened to Ayden whispering heatedly with his mother on the other side of the wall, and tried hard to ignore them, feeling it was rude to eavesdrop. I jumped, my heart skipping a beat, when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I'd gone so long without it that I'd begun to disregard it completely.

I pulled it out, trying to control my breathing, and answered it when I saw the caller was Jake.

"Hey, Jake," I said. "You ready to get picked up?"

"Yeah," he replied, sounding somewhat miserable. "Can you kind of hurry, though?"

"Yeah, I'll leave right now," I assured him, standing up from the sofa. "Is everything okay?"

"Not really," he said, and I immediately imagined him with a bleeding stump, a black eye, or handcuffs around his wrists while he sat at a police-station.

"Ah, okay, where are you," I replied stonily. I heard Ayden and Shiraz's conversation cut short, and saw him poke his head around the doorway as I walked around the couch and made my way toward him.

"At Frank's, standing outside," he whined. "Alone."

Ah, shit, why hadn't I expected this?

"I'm on my way," I spat, more from a desire to kill Kimi than irritation toward him. "Don't move, do you hear me?"

"Yeah," he groaned. "Are you mad at me? Please don't be mad at me."

"Shut up, Jake," I said, "I'm not mad at you, just stay where you are, I'll be right there."

"Okay," he whispered, and I crushed the end button with my thumb.

"Is Jake alright?" Ayden asked, stepping out of the way as I stormed passed him. He mother was standing in the doorway to what I presumed was Ayden's room, but I was too angry to bother peeking. She was busy wringing her hands with agitation, blinking at me with concern.

"I don't know," I replied. "He sounds upset, but other than that I think he's okay. He hasn't been arrested, so that's comforting enough for me."

"Do you need a ride, sweetheart?" Shiraz asked me, reaching forward to place her had on my shoulder. She was taller than me, and her straight black hair was tied back into an elegant, yet messy bun.

"No, thank you," I replied, pulling Jake's car keys from my front pocket. "He left his car here, I'll just go get him."

"You want me to come?" Ayden asked me.

"I guess, if you want to," I replied. I figured that Ayden's presence wouldn't really make much of a difference to Jake.

"Be careful," Shiraz requested, patting me swiftly, and repeating it on her son's arm. "You haven't been drinking, have you?"

"No," I replied, "I haven't been in much of a partying mood."

Ayden shook his head.

"Okay," she succumbed. "I'll just go tell your father where you went, then."

She blew out of the basement so quickly I wondered if she had been running.

"Come on," Ayden said, taking my hand and walking me back upstairs and out the front door. We didn't say anything on the way to Frank's, except when I needed directions, which Ayden gave to me tartly. I pulled into the ragged, gravel parking lot not too long after Jake had called me, and almost immediately felt the raging desire to punch Kimi right in her smug little face.

I found myself hoping as I stepped out of the car, instructing Ayden to wait by the car, that Kimi would make herself known to me shortly, so I could give her a piece of my mind.

I'd never seen Jake cry before, and I was made well aware in those few moments how very sensitive and delicate he really was.

_Shit_, I thought. _That motherfucking bitch_.

I could have just killed her.


End file.
